A leading anti-doping association has warned that cycling must remain cautious despite a decrease in doping cases in cycling that show the sport to be a “model student”.
The Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC), a voluntary organisation comprising several professional teams and more than 300 individual athletes, has published its latest ‘credibility’ figures, detailing the number of doping cases in professional cycling and comparing them to other sports.
The figures show there were a total of 20 doping cases in professional cycling, continuing a downward trend from 29 instances in 2022. Overall, cycling is now the ninth most quoted sport for released doping cases, far behind Athletics (133), Weightlifting (53) and Mixed Martial Arts (40).
The majority of cycling’s anti-doping cases occurred at Continental level, the third-tier of professional cycling. However one World Tour professional, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe’s Oier Lazkano, was suspended due to irregularities in his biological passport, which the MPCC describe as “one of the cornerstones of the fight against doping.”
> Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe sack Oier Lazkano after former Spanish champion suspended by UCI over biological passport abnormalities
Lazkano’s irregularities occurred whilst riding for Movistar, a team which is not signed up to the MPCC and therefore doesn’t follow the organisation’s stricter anti-doping protocols. Speaking recently to the road.cc podcast, MPCC president Emily Brammeier said the movement’s principles “are actually just to protect riders’ health, the fairness of the sport, and its credibility.
“Wanting to make clean sport the norm and not a minimum requirement is probably the key driving factor of the MPCC over the years.”
However, the MPCC has pointed to concerns over a doping culture at the lower levels of professional cycling and among the amateur ranks. “Ensuring clean cycling at the professional level also means ensuring that it remains clean at its roots. Our sport cannot afford to be careless when it comes to the scourge of doping.”
> The Gran Fondo doping curse strikes again: 41-year-old amateur cyclist tests positive for steroids after Masters world championship win
“From the bottom to the top of our sport, all stakeholders in cycling must be involved in the fight against doping. And the MPCC is one of these stakeholders.”
In summarising their findings for 2025, the MPCC warn that cycling “must both question the significant development of certain medical practices known as ‘grey areas’ among the elite and tackle ‘traditional’ doping, particularly at Continental level.” The MPCC has previously supported the banning of tramadol, which disqualified Nairo Quintana from the 2022 Tour de France, and ban the use of ketones among its members.
> UCI tells riders to avoid ketones as “no compelling evidence” they enhance performance or recovery
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The MPCC currently comprises 12 men’s and women’s WorldTour teams (out of 32), though several major teams, including UAE Team Emirates XRG, Visma-Lease a Bike, Ineos Grenadiers, SD Worx-Protime and Lidl-Trek, are not. Some riders on those teams – such as Oscar Onley, Christophe Laporte, Lorena Wiebes and Lucinda Brand – are members of the MPCC as individuals.
However, there are significantly more members at the ProTour level, the most recent addition being the newly formed American team Modern Adventure Pro Cycling.
The team, co-founded by George Hincapie with Bobby Julich returning to the sport as a Performance Director, was accepted following what the MPCC describes as “additional due diligence” in light of both men’s past doping confessions during their racing careers. Announcing their acceptance into the organisation, Hincapie said “I witnessed firsthand the cultural shift in the sport many years ago, and I’ve seen both the damage that comes from turning a blind eye and the progress that’s possible when athletes choose integrity.
“By committing to the MPCC’s enhanced transparency standards, we’re proving that clean athletes can compete at the highest level and that credibility matters more than shortcuts. I want our team to stand for integrity.”
> “Cheating will be part of cycling forever”: MPCC president Emily Brammeier on anti-doping, tackling the ‘grey area’, and making clean sport the norm
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