Franck Bonnamour received a four-year period of ineligibility after the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal found an unexplained abnormality in his Athlete Biological Passport from 2022. The ban is backdated to February 5, 2024, and runs until February 4, 2028. The abnormal readings appeared while Bonnamour completed the 2022 Tour de France with B&B Hotels-KTM. The case referenced a sample from the penultimate stage of that Tour, when he reportedly had COVID-19 symptoms and dehydration, and an out-of-competition test from October 2018. Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale provisionally suspended and later terminated his contract. Bonnamour retired during the investigation and ceased contesting the ban, citing financial strain.
The UCI confirmed the decision in a press release issued on Thursday, which stated that the suspension would be backdated to begin February 5, 2024, and will remain enforced until February 4, 2028. "The Tribunal found that Franck Bonnamour had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method due to an unexplained abnormality in his Athlete Biological Passport (*) in 2022. As a consequence, the Tribunal has imposed a four-year period of ineligibility on the rider," the statement read.
The UCI confirmed that Bonnamour's athlete's biological passport, which can be used to detect signs of doping over time, showed abnormal readings in 2022. Bonnamour completed the Tour de France in that year while racing for B&B Hotels-KTM. However, it was earlier reported that Bonnamour's case was based on a test taken during the penultimate stage of the 2022 Tour de France - when Bonnamour is claimed to have been suffering COVID-19 symptoms and dehydration - and an out-of-competition test from October 2018.
Collection
[
|
...
]