Daniel Vysočan, a rider for the Pierre Baguette Continental team, has tested positive for CERA, the Slovakian team has announced.
The 20-year-old Czech rider tested positive in an out-of-competition test on September 25, two days before taking part in the U23 road race at the Road World Championships in Zürich.
Vysočan raced the Tour of Hungary and Tour of Slovakia alongside Peter Sagan, who was on the team for a few months before retiring. This was Vysočan's second season for the squad.
In the months before his positive test, he finished 16th at the Tour de l'Avenir and sixth at the Tour of South Bohemia and also represented Czechia at the European Championships.
Vysočan is listed among the riders on the UCI's provisional suspensions page, having tested positive for CERA.
CERA is a variant of EPO which first came to prominence in the sport in the late 2008 when top-level riders including Danilo Di Luca, Bernhard Kohl, Leonardo Piepoli, Stefan Schumacher, Riccardo Riccò and Davide Rebellin were all caught out by positives for the drug, which was widely thought to have been undetectable by testing at the time.
In recent years, several South American racers (Luís Alberto Largo, Wilson Ramiro Rincón, Juan Pablo Dotti) and Astana Development rider Ilkhan Dostiyev have all tested positive for the substance.
Pierre Baguette released a statement confirming that Vysočan had been suspended immediately pending analysis of his B-sample, noting that his contract would be terminated immediately should his B-sample also test positive.
"On November 4, 2024, Pierre Baguette Cycling Team was informed by the UCI that Czech rider Daniel Vysočan has been notified of a potential Anti-Doping Rule Violation for the presence of Methoxy polyethylene glycol-epoetin beta (CERA), a prohibited substance, in his A-Sample, collected during an out-of-competition test on September 25, 2024, in Zurich," Pierre Baguette wrote in a statement.
"Daniel Vysočan last participated in Pierre Baguette Cycling Team's racing calendar in 5-8. September 2024. His entry in the 2024 UCI Worlds in Zurich was managed entirely independently, with no support, involvement, or association with the team. Pierre Baguette Cycling Team unequivocally states that it had no part in Daniel Vysočan's participation in the 2024 UCI Worlds.
"Pierre Baguette Cycling Team enforces an absolute zero-tolerance policy regarding doping. We are fully committed to safeguarding the integrity of cycling, a sport we deeply respect by refusing any involvement in illicit activities, prohibited substances, or any actions that compromise our core values. Every team member is held to the highest standards of integrity and accountability, and any deviation from these standards is not accepted.
"Effective immediately, Daniel Vysočan has been suspended pending the analysis of his B-Sample B. Should the B-Sample confirm the presence of CERA, his contract will be immediately terminated."
