The CADF announced in June that the pandemic had led to a significant reduction in its activity during the pandemic, in accordance with World Anti-Doping Agency and Government guidelines.

Many cyclists in the testing pool had been residing in nations with strict limits on movement and physical interactions in place.

The CADF said out-of-competition tests fell by 90 per cent as a result.

During March and April, the CADF said it had collected almost as many samples from cyclists as all National Anti-Doping Organisations (NADOs) combined.

However, the CADF has said its testing numbers from May to August reached the same levels as 2019.

"From January 1 to August 31, 2020, more than 5,000 samples were collected," CADF said in a statement to the Reuters.

"This represents half the number of samples collected in 2019 for the same period, which is explained by the high number of UCI [International Cycling Union] events cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Moreover, in 2020, 80 per cent of these samples were collected out-of-competition.

"In addition, for the period from May to August, the CADF reached the same level of testing in 2020 as 2019 despite the significant reduction in out-of-competition testing following the announcement of the pandemic.

"This shows that the CADF out-of-competition testing programme in cycling has returned to normal."

The UCI WorldTour season resumed in August, with the pandemic having halted the season in March.

The first Grand Tour of the season, the Tour de France, is currently ongoing.

The CADF was established in 2008 to carry out anti-doping programmes within cycling on behalf of the UCI.

This year will be the final year CADF oversees the anti-doping programme.

The UCI announced earlier this year that its anti-doping operations will be transferred to the International Testing Agency (ITA) from the start of 2021.

The ITA will create a dedicated cycling unit within its structure and offer CADF employees the chance to join.