The Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC, for its French acronym) has recorded a total of 29 suspected cases of doping in 2022. Despite this, Nairo Quintana’s positive is the only case registered on the World Tour, the most low in the last two decades.
Cycling decided a long time ago to start doing anti-doping controls, a persecution to catch cheaters that intensified over the years, although some cases continue to appear today.
The MPCC, a group of teams, runners and organizers that fight against doping, has presented its annual report in which it collects data from federations, anti-doping agencies, courts and press articles. With all this, it has collected 29 cases of alleged doping in professional cycling.
If we look at the total cases, it is the second worst score in the last eight years (only behind 2019) and represents 10 more cases than in 2021. However, this year’s data indicates the general good health of cycling elite: only 2 cases in World Tour and Pro Team teams, the lowest number since the Festina case was uncovered.
The most notorious doping of last season was Nairo Quintana’s positive tramadol test in the Tour de France. The Colombian runner was disqualified from the French test and expelled from Arkéa-Samsic, the team in which he ran. This is the only case within a World Tour team that the MPCC has been aware of.
On the contrary, the bulk of cases of alleged doping involve continental road teams. In total, 12 cases. Among them, what happened in the Portuguese group W52-FC Porto stands out, which “was dissolved after the police brought to light a possible organized doping”, according to the MPCC itself.
The 29 total cases correspond to 15 countries. It is found that there is much less incidence of doping in female runners, since the cases in the female category remain at 6; while the other 23 correspond to the male.
By discipline, the MPCC shows that 19 are road, 5 track, 1 MTB, 1 cyclocross, 2 BMX and one that is not specified.
The MPCC has more and more equipment
The association was born in 2007 with the aim of promoting cycling without cheating that adulterates the competition. The MPCC does not require anyone to be part of it, but that all members are voluntary. Once they enter, they agree to comply with a decalogue of rules and behaviors.
Currently, the MPCC has 1,124 members, including 30 professional teams between men and women (15 World Tour and 15 Pro Team), 21 continental teams and 393 riders.
Source: www.brujulabike.com