United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) entered the new year by announcing 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championship silver medalist Ina Pfuhler has been banned for 2 years after testing positive for Testosterone at the USA Cycling Gran Fondo National Championships.
Pfuhler, 55, was awarded a USA national championship title, gold medal and accompanying stars-n-stripes jersey after winning the Women’s 55+ category on 17 September 2023 at Gran Fondo Maryland. In-competition anti-doping samples collected afterwards returned a positive test result for Testosterone – a substance banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) due to its powerful ability to give athletes an unfair performance advantage.
Although a USADA investigation determined that Pfuhler was taking Testosterone at the direction of a physician, she never applied for nor received a valid Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE). Under the USADA TUE Policy, an athlete has the responsibility to demonstrate that the medical need to treat an acute or chronic condition meets the World Anti-Doping Agency standards for TUEs.
Prior to testing positive, Pfuhler competed at the 2023 UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Scotland at where she won a silver medal racing for Germany in the Women’s 55-59 medio fondo race.
Pfuhler is banned from participating in any WADA governed sport worldwide until 7 December 2025.
Photo Credit: USADA
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