THE TOP 10 AMATEUR DOPING STORIES OF 2021

As we prepare to close out the year and set our sites on 2022, we thought it a good time to reflect on the year’s top amateur cycling doping stories. Stories that highlight the sport still has a major doping problem, one that has spread from the pro peloton to amateur gran fondos, particularly with aging riders fixated on achieving results at any cost.

Unfortunately, it is fundamentally impossible to test and catch all amateur drug cheats. Too many riders, too many events, too little funding and little desire from the UCI and nations to clean up the amateur side of the sport.

So if you can’t catch them, how do you stop them? Publicly scare, shame and ban them.

Here are the Top 10 Amateur Doping stories of 2021:

#10 AGING BEST BUDDIES BOTH TEST POSITIVE, BOTH BANNED

#9 WINLESS OLD MAN CRUSHES COMPETITION, THEN TESTS POSITIVE

#8 DODGEY ITALIAN CHAMPION CAN’T DODGE POSITIVE DRUG TEST

#7 TEEN WINNING FIRST BIG RACE AWARDED 4 YEAR BAN

#6 GIDDYUP AMATEUR BANNED 3 YEARS FOR USING RACE HORSE DRUG

#5 BIKE RACING COP BUSTED FOR USING BANNED DRUG

#4 ALL DOPED UP AMATEUR CAUGHT USING 10 BANNED DRUGS

#3 AMATEURS HELP ITALY EARN WORLD’S BIGGEST DOPING TITLE

#2 “I AM INNOCENT” MASTERS RIDER FOUND GUILTY OF USING EPO

#1 NEW GRAN FONDO WORLD CHAMPION IS A SELF CONFESSED DOPER