On Wednesday Michel Hessman, 23, returned to racing at Milano-Torino in Italy after serving a 21-month doping ban.

As a promising Junior and U23 rider the German was signed by the Jumbo-Visma Development team and finished 5th at the 2022 UCI World Championship U23 Time Trial.

But on 14 June 2023 Hessmann’s cycling career started to unravel when the German Anti-Doping Agency (NADA Germany) ordered him to submit out-of-competition test samples. Lab analysis showed the presence of Chlorthalidone, a banned diuretic capable of masking other prohibited substances.

Hessman argued that the positive anti-doping test and rule violation was the result of contamination from common over-the-counter painkillers Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, or Naproxen. Although the World Anti-Doping Agency and NADA Germany agreed that the violation was unintentional, they sentencing him to a 21-month ban from sport. In addition, his Jumbo-Visma team dropped him from their roster.

This past January the Spanish Movistar team decided to take a chance with the young rider, offering him a career lifeline and opportunity to race again on Wednesday 19 March at the Italian Milano-Torino race – just four days after finishing his 21-month ban.

Hessman finished the race in 108th place, 11:02 behind the winner Isaac Del Toro, 21, of Mexico.

Afterwards he told ciclismoaldia, “I felt very good in the peloton. I think I played a good role today for the team [Einer Rubio finished 5th]. So I couldn’t be happier.”

Photo Credit: Movistar

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