2019 UCI World U23 Cross-Country Champion Vlad Dascalu, 26, has been banned from sport for 17 months after “committing three whereabouts failures in a 12-month period,” according to a statement issued by the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal.

The Romanian MTB cyclist, who rides for Trek Factory Racing, was required to submit accurate whereabouts location information in accordance with UCI Anti-Doping Rules so he could be “located at any time for no advance notice testing.”

The UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal did not provide details of the failures, or indicate if Dascalu botched whereabouts procedural fillings and/or missed required no advance notice anti-doping tests.

In accordance with the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the period of Dascalu’s suspension started the day of the decision, 21 May 2024, and will end 20 October 2025.

Anti-doping whereabouts suspensions tend to be most common among younger riders. Earlier this year 2021 USA Cycling Amateur Junior Criterium National Champion Christian DesChamps was suspended 14 months for three whereabouts failures, while Russian Aigul Gareeva, the 2019 UCI Junior World Time Trial Champion, was been banned 18-months in 2022 for the same violation.

Photo Credit: Robert Jones