2 Spanish, 1 Portugese rider suspended for CERA usage

September 18th, 2009 by Al Fresco View Comments

The doping convictions are coming in heavy this week. After the suspension of German cyclist Olaf Pollack, 3 junior riders from the Ukraine, Italian cyclist Annalisa Cucinotta, word has come that 3 cyclists on Portugal’s Liberty Seguros team have been found to be using CERA, the latest generation of EPO.

Earlier this week, the UCI advised Spanish riders Isidro Nozal Vega and Hector Guerra Garcia, and Portuguese rider Nuno Ribeiro that they were provisionally suspended.

The decision to provisionally suspend the three riders was made in response to reports from the WADA accredited laboratories in Lausanne and Paris indicating an Adverse Analytical Finding of Recombinant EPO (CERA) in blood samples collected from the three riders during an out-of-competition test on 3 August 2009.

Mr Guerra and Mr Ribeiro were listed by their National Federations as competitors in the UCI Road World Championships commencing in Mendrisio, Switzerland, next week. The Spanish and Portuguese Federations have been instructed by the UCI to remove these riders from their national teams.

All three riders are registered with the UCI Continental Team Liberty Seguros. The tests were conducted by the Portuguese National Anti-Doping Agency on behalf of the UCI based on information received about the activities of the riders.

The provisional suspension of these riders remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the riders’ Federations determines whether they have committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules.

The three riders have the right to request and attend the analysis of their B samples.

Under the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the UCI is unable to provide any additional information at this time.