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The month of August featured 12 RaceClean tests, which brings us to a total of 125 tests so far in 2016. That’s only ten tests away from our year-end target, which we expect to well exceed.
Also in the last 30 days, the first doping sanctions resulting from 2016 RaceClean-funded testing were announced, as well as one sanction from 2015 testing. These announcements are disappointing, as they represent the use of banned performance enhancing doping practices in amateur U.S. bike racing, but they are not unexpected, as we knew such practices were occurring. Here is a summary of those announcements: Kimberly Ciolli of Austin, Texas accepted a doping sanction for the use of stimulant proplyhexedrine and the presence of an exogenous androgenic anabolic steroid and/or its metabolites in competition at the Tulsa Tough on June 11. |
NUMBER OF TESTS
August 2016: 12 |
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CHECK PRESCRIPTIONS
USADA makes it easy to ensure you’re competing within the rules. Call USADA’s Drug Reference Hotline at (option 2) to check your medications against the prohibited list. |
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REPORT A TIP
If you suspect a competitor of using performance enhancing drugs, leave an anonymous tip to help us determine who and where to test. Call the PlayClean Tip Line at to leave your tips. |
The four sanctions listed above came from tests conducted as recently as June and as far back as last year, but please note that anti-doping rules violations are not necessarily announced in the order of testing. Because each case is unique and requires a different amount of time to allow proper due process for the affected athlete, one could not conclude that these will be the only sanctions from this time period.
All of the sanctions discussed above resulted from samples taken by athletes who finished first in their respective categories. Though the RaceClean program typically targets top finishing athletes, any athlete competing could be tested if reason existed to suspect foul play. You also might note that these sanctions came from both local events and the amateur classes at large national calendar events. The RaceClean program targets any event where competition is high and the use of banned doping practices could be undermining fair competition.
You may have noticed three of these four positives resulted from athletes from Texas. We believe this is largely coincidental, though there has been a disproportionate amount of testing in Texas as a result of the Texas Bicycle Racing Association’s (TXBRA) funding of incremental testing within their local association (LA). Any other LA which is interested in partnering with RaceClean to increase testing in their region for 2017 should contact me.
In addition to the four RaceClean-funded tests that resulted in sanctions, USADA announced another cycling sanction in August which was funded by a separate program targeting top level national events. Mary Verrando Higgins of Ocala, Florida accepted a sanction for the use of metabolites of methyltestosterone in competition at the 2016 USA Cycling Masters National Championships in Winston-Salem, NC. This demonstrates how RaceClean-funded tests are just one piece of the anti-doping puzzle for amateur athletes in the United States. Learn more about who conducts and funds tests here.
Finally, let me take this opportunity to strongly encourage you to check your prescriptions! Just because your doctor prescribes you a medicine, that does not mean it is necessarily free for you to use in competition. You must have that medication checked against USADA’s list of banned substances. That is your responsibility as a USA Cycling athlete. Fortunately, USADA makes it easy to find out if your medication is banned or not. Click here to view the banned list, and learn about applying for Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUE), if available.
As you can see from this month’s news, the RaceClean Program is in full swing to ensure amateur bike racing in America is free from doping. Learn more on the RaceClean webpage. If you want to help us do even more, please consider making an additional donation to our cause.
Regards,
Jon Whiteman
USA Cycling Risk Protection Manager
