Collection of banned substances detected at three events
The UCI has today announced that seven riders from South America have been handed provisional suspensions and will face further investigation over A sample positive tests in three separate events.
Each of the riders will be unable to compete until their national federations examine the cases, after which they could face official sanctioning. Their B sample examinations have yet to be carried out.
Four of the samples relate to both the Tour of Rio and the Tour of Brazil/Volta Ciclistica Do Sao Paulo, with tests being taken between July 28th-29th and October 17th-20th respectively. The riders in question are the Brazilians Tiago Damasceno, Flavio Reblin and Wagner Alves plus the Chilean Manuel Villalobos.
Their samples contained metabolites of Stanozolol, the steroid for which Canadian athlete Ben Johnson tested positive for during the 1988 Olympic Games.
Another Brazilian was nabbed in the Tour of Brazil/Volta Ciclistica do Sao Paulo event, with Elton Silva’s sample being taken on October 23rd and showing traces of mephentermine and its metabolite as well as phentermine.
The final two riders provided positive samples for cocaine metabolites, the presence of 19-norandrosterone plus Boldenone PC and metabolite at the Vuelta a Bolivia. The Peruvian rider Ronald Luza tested positive after a test on November 10th, while two days later the Bolivian Fernando Espindola provided the sample that has now put him in hot water.
Each of the riders are facing likely lengthy bans from the sport.