The United States Anti Doping Agency (USADA) announced on Friday that South Florida Hialeah Gardens Bike Shop owner and 51 year-old amateur cyclist Nelson Trujillo has been banned 12 years for breaking multiple anti-doping rules.

USADA collected a urine sample submitted by Trujillo during the Tour of South Florida amateur bike race on 5 February 2022, where Trujillo finished 10th, that returned a result for recombinant erythropoietin (EPO), a banned blood doping drug.

USADA then paid Trujillo a visit to collect random out of competition urine and blood samples with no advance notice on 2 May 2022. Trujillo refused to provide the required samples as requested by USADA, and then also refused a second time, both refusals in violation of anti-doping rules.

Evading sample collection or refusing or failing to submit to sample collection without compelling justification is an anti-doping rule violation under the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Movement Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-Doping Policy, and the International Cycling Union Anti-Doping Rules, all of which have adopted the World Anti-Doping Code (Code) and the World Anti-Doping Agency Prohibited List.

For the violation of anti-doping rules USADA has banned Trujillo from competition for 12 years, beginning 23 August 2022, while also stripping him of competitive results, medals, points and prizes from 2 May 2022 forward.

Photos: USADA