Colombian climber Miguel Angel López has insisted that he is not guilty of using banned substances and that he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport against his four-year suspension from racing, the case for which he said is based on an erroneous interpretation of “manipulated phone call transcripts.”
According to a UCI statement on Wednesday, López was given a four-year ban, effective from the date of his provisional suspension on July 25 2023, for “use and possession of a prohibited substance (Menotropin)" – a substance normally used in the treatment of fertility disturbances – "concomitantly with the 2022 Giro d’Italia.”
A former Vuelta a España and Tour de France stage winner and podium finisher in both the Giro and Vuelta, López has always insisted he is innocent of any wrongdoing and he reacted forcefully to the news of the four-year ban.
Writing on Instagram, López claimed that the decision failed to take into account recent decisions taken by the Spanish legal authorities and by CAS. He also alleged, without providing direct proof, that the ban was based on the [incorrect] "interpretation of manipulated and biased phone call transcripts."
"The offence does not exist, and the ban is unjustified," López wrote. "I will appeal immediately and I will defend my innocence, I hope to be able to return to the world of competitive cycling."
The 30-year-old former Astana racer also thanked people for their ongoing support during the investigation.
The UCI's announcement of López ban stated that "the disciplinary proceeding was initiated following an investigation conducted by the International Testing Agency (ITA) based on evidence obtained from the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Spanish Anti-Doping Organisation (CELAD) in the so-called Operation 'Ilex'. The UCI welcomes this valuable collaboration."
The UCI did not specify what evidence had been obtained from Ilex, nor yet how it affected their investigation.
However, it added that what it calls the "operational activities of its anti-doping programme" have been run by the International Testing Agency (ITA) in January 2021, and pointed out that the ITA's agreement with the UCI "guarantees that the ITA operates in an independent manner."
In the original statement about the ban the UCI added it would not comment further on the suspension. Meanwhile, López has up to a month to lodge his appeal with CAS.
