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No-show doping suspensions reversed
USA Cycling and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Tuesday that two riders, previously suspended for missing doping tests, have had their licenses reinstated, after both agencies concluded that harsh penalties were unfair in both cases.
Cale Redpath of Durango, Colorado and Alice Pennington of Hood River, Oregon both accepted one-year suspensions for failure to appear after being selected as reserve athletes at USA Cycling and UCI-sanctioned events during the 2006 season. Normally, anti-doping rules require that podium finishers and a select group of randomly chosen riders are required to undergo testing following a race. Reserve athletes are tested only in the event that one of the other riders fails to show up for testing or if one of the randomly selected riders finishes in the top three. Both Pennington and Redpath had been selected as random riders, but subsequently argued that they had not been aware of their selections.
USADA officials told VeloNews that a one-year suspension was “admittedly harsh” in both cases, but noted that a strict interpretation of Article 122 of the UCI’s anti-doping regulations required its imposition.
“It bothered us, too,” said one USADA official, “but the rule was clear. What we decided, though, was to look at how Article 122 was being applied in other countries and we saw a lot of inconsistencies. At that point, we started working with the UCI and USA Cycling to see if we could come up with a more equitable solution.”
In USADA’s decision to set aside the offenses and sanctions of Redpath and Pennington, it cited a “fair and appropriate application of Article 122” (of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules) in light of USADA’s investigation regarding reserve riders that are subject to a no-show violation only in the event they would have actually been tested. In both cases, the athlete would not otherwise have been tested as a reserve since both the automatic selections and the randoms were available for testing.
“USA Cycling maintains a zero-tolerance policy and remains fully committed to the fight against doping,” Steve Johnson, CEO of USA Cycling, said in a press release issued Tuesday. “Toward that end, we continue to work closely with both the UCI and USADA to combat the use of performance-enhancing drugs and methods in the sport of cycling. Respecting this policy, we also believe that it is imperative to preserve and protect the rights of all athletes in this fight and we are pleased that through open communication with USADA and the UCI, we have been able to better harmonize our national and international policies and procedures. We applaud the efforts of USADA for pursuing fairness and equity surrounding these no-show situations.”
There are currently three other similar cases under review and, if the facts are like those surrounding the Redpath and Pennington suspensions, charges are likely to be dropped as well.
"We are not saying that people don't need to show up for testing," said one unnamed USADA official. "What we are saying is that in cases like this, where there was an honest mistake, with no real consequence, it should be treated differently than someone who intentionally takes a performance-enhancing drug to gain an advantage. We're here to nail cheaters. That's our job."
