What Martin Maes' UCI Suspension Means for the Overall EWS Standings
Martin Maes has arrived in Canazei but he unfortunately won't be racing after the UCI handed down a 90 day suspension following two failed drugs tests in Rotorua and Tasmania. The extenuating circumstances mean that this is the most lenient punishment they can hand out but it still spoils Maes' perfect start to the season.
How are the EWS Results Affected?
As Martin has been stripped of his results in Rotorua and Tasmania, we now have two new winners in the EWS. While we’re sure neither of them will have wanted to win this way, the history books will have them down as fastest on the day. The updated results and overall standings are below.
Rotorua Results:
1st. Keegan WRIGHT (NZL) 27:34.83
2nd. Florian NICOLAI (FRA) +0:17.38
3rd. Jesse MELAMED (CAN) +0:27.62
4th. Cole LUCAS (NZL) +0:29.15
5th. Kevin MIQUEL (FRA) +0:34.51
Tasmania Results:
1st. Florian NICOLAI (FRA) 24:04.730
2nd. Connor FEARON (AUS) +5.86
3rd. Remi GAUVIN (CAN) +8.01
4th. Kevin MIQUEL (FRA) +8.48
5th. Keegan WRIGHT (NZL) +13.31
Overall Standings
Martin had the largest lead ever after the first three rounds of an EWS series thanks to three round wins and a bonus 120 points thanks to a clean sweep of Queen stage wins too. He hands over his Queen stage titles to Keegan Wright in Rotorua and Connor Fearon in Tasmania but this doesn’t massively affect the overall with most riders just getting bumped up one place.
1st. Florian NICOLAI (FRA) - 1320
2nd. Jesse MELAMED (CAN) - 1210
3rd. Remi GAUVIN (CAN) - 1120
4th. Kevin MIQUEL (FRA) - 1100
5th. Sam HILL (AUS) - 1070
4 Quick Facts About Martin Maes' UCI Suspension
1. What is Probenecid?
Probenecid is a drug that is primarily used for treating gout, however it also used by doctors as it prevents the kidneys from processing antibiotics and increases their levels in the blood. It is this latter role that puts it on the WADA prohibited substances list as it can also have the same retentive effect on steroids.
Theoretically, if an athlete knows a test is coming up they can take a large dose of probenecid that will prevent any steroids in their body entering their urine. They will still fail the urine test for having probenecid in their system but it could potentially mask a ‘more serious’ infringement.
Much like Higenamine and Oxilofrine, Probenecid is a specified substance, a subcategory of prohibited substances that are not necessarily less potent but they do leave open the possibility of a reduced sentence through a plausible explanation such as Martin's.
Unlike other performance enhancing drugs, Specified Substances also do not warrant the instant “mandatory, provisional suspension” that is usually imposed when an athlete tests positive for a banned substance. This explains why Martin was allowed to compete at Madeira and Tasmania, despite a positive test.
WADA’s strict liability rule means that unintentional or negligent consumption does not absolve an athlete of responsibility.
2. Who Else Has Tested Positive for Probenecid?
While Martin is currently the only cyclist banned for Probenecid use, it is more prevalent in other sports. Just four days ago, Indian long distance runner, Sanjeevani Jadhav, was also popped for having it her blood. Previously, Olympic gold medal winning 100m relay sprinter Gil Roberts returned a positive test for the drug but he was cleared as it was ruled that the drug passed into his system after he kissed his girlfriend who had a sinus infection.
3. How Could Martin Have Fought the Ruling?
A TUE, or Therapeutic Use Exemption, allows an athlete to take a prohibited substance if they have an illness or condition that requires them to take it. Martin applied for a Therapeutic Use Exemption for Probenecid but was denied on June 1, the UCI apparently denied it because an alternative to probenecid is available but wasn't used at the time.
Martin also had the option to fight the ruling in a Sports Tribunal but from what we understand, he and his team decided it was better to see out the remaining six weeks of the suspension and accept the consequences. A Tribunal could have taken much longer than six weeks and even then there is no guarantee it would change the outcome.
4. What Next for Martin?
Martin has made the trip to Canazei this weekend because he feels like he has nothing to hide. He will be answering questions from media, racers and fans. The EWS is also hosting a drugs workshop on Thursday night to help educate riders about the WADA list and accidental ingestion.
Martin will be suspended until the weekend of the Whistler EWS but he will return for Northstar. He says his biggest focus is now the downhill World Championships in Mont Sainte Anne.
Previously:
Martin Maes Tests Positive for Masking Agent at EWS Rotorua and Tasmania, Receives 90 Day Non-Intentional Suspension
Interview: Martin Maes - "I'm Not Guilty... I Just Made a Stupid Mistake"
Author Info:
Must Read This Week
if he was American he would of take only 8 months with a really bad story ...
Open your eyes, thank you
@Will-narayan And, technically, it would be "if he were", not "if he was". While you're being that guy.
@geo89: Oh ok, me neither, I just like to point this mistake out cuz' it makes no sense to turn a verb into a preposition (it's just that would of sounds similar to would have), but so many people do it that it leads non-english users to think it is ok.
Back on topic now
“I took a sip from someone else’s water bottle.”
“There was no phone reception.”
“I kissed a girl.”
No way. He kissed his snotty girlfriend so hard it was like taking banned meds. Yuk. Was that a kiss or a suck?
Everyone caught doping has some kind of elaborate special case/excuse. Antidoping would go nowhere if they were always entertained to an extreme degree, they don't have the resources to do a DNA investigation if someone's saliva is on someone elses water bottle.
"there was no evidence that the use of probenecid was tied to another violation such as the use of a performance enhancing drug"
There wouldn't be, because it's a masking agent. That's the whole point of a masking agent.
I'd take the violation every time personally.
There's been no informed medical discussion of the alternatives. Without that information, accusing GT of being under prepared is premature.
We need to face the fact that Maes may have had no medically viable choice. Would love it if PB could interview a doctor on this.
Where there is clearly a medical requirement and no advantage gained, the UCI and WADA should have a procedure to clear an athlete. And what's with letting someone continue after a positive test? Efforts for two rounds go to sh!t? Ridiculous. The whole thing stinks for Martin Maes and his closest competitors.
Plus the guy now has a "doping" mark against him, when all he's done is be an amazing rider doing great things for MTB.
The UCI and WADA suck d!ck with things like this. They have no credibility because they let genuine cheats off the hook, while genuine athletes get punished.
To your point about contacting UCI before an adverse finding, you're totally right. They should have done it. I've never run logistics for a pro bike team so I can't judge them.
It all seems silly to me though. We have no test for autologous blood transfusions, which means endurance sport cheating is ubiquitous and undetectable, and we're tossing people out for not reporting antibiotics. "ok"
Regardless of what happened after, the bodies that are there to prevent foul play should be able to recognise genuine medical requirement for something and make an exemption.
There are genuine cheating turds out there who get away with it via various loopholes - kissing a girlfriend is just one of them. But genuine athletes get pinged for genuine situations. So it is a sh!t system.
My wife volunteers as a doc for adventure races and has been asked for other events that would involve WADA rules. The races are always in areas with poor to no cell coverage. I don't hear from her for a week. There is no way she would be able to know that list. The team of one of the best mountain bikers on the planet doesn't know the list.
These events rely on doctors to volunteer their time. I feel it should be incumbent upon the sporting bodies to make sure the doctors treat the athletes with in the rules. The event and UCI rules set the athletes up for potential failure. Martin has worked his ass off and now has to suffer public, world wide (in the mountain biking community) humiliation. Its disgusting. For me the body that needs sanctioning is not Martin but the UCI.
I wonder how many other athletes at that or other events have been treated the same way? Only the winners get mandatory drug testing at each event.
It is really disheartening to see this kind of willful ignorance and denial cloud objective rationality. As a public health and medical scientist I see this kind of denial all the time (ie vaccine deniers etc) and it is so challenging because many people make decisions based more on emotion than evidence.
Had Team GT filed for a TUE *before* they got caught out, I'd have more sympathy...
Granted testing isn't something anybody can do so UCI is somewhat of a necessary evil, but many companies offer such services. OR the UCI could provide testing with more decisions coming down to hopefully reasonable individuals within EWS would be some possible ways I could imagine going forward.
The UCI and WADA have to have a strict set of rules, and they have to make absolutely sure, everybody complies to those rules, no exceptions. Especially no exceptions after the fact. UCI learned that the hard way in road cycling, where they were trusting riders, team managers, and doctors for far too long.
Whether Enduro mountain biking needs to be that serious is a different question though
Pronounce /ˈastəˌrisk/
noun
1. a symbol (*) used to mark printed or written text, typically as a reference to an annotation or to stand for omitted matter.
Let's re-cap:
1.) A professional athlete violates rules related to his profession he and his environment should be familiar with.
2.) The violation get's spotted.
3.) The one reporting the violation get's the blame
Seriously? And then blaming the UCI. After all, in pre-UCI times (EWS 2018 Rule book), the rules were even more crystal clear (that they haven't been applied, see Rude/Graves case, is a whole different story)
"At any National Federation sanctioned event on any EWS calendar, Anti-Doping tests may be carried
out at any time. All riders entered into the event must comply with local Anti-Doping regulation
procedures if asked to do so. Failure to do so will result in disqualification from that event and further
penalisation as deemed appropriate by the EWS Board.
The Enduro World Series organisers and EWS will respect and assist any National Cycling
Federation operating anti-doping controls at Enduro World Series events.
Any competitor entering an EWS event must follow any anti-doping procedure that may be asked of
them by an Enduro World Series organiser.
With the interests of keeping enduro mountain biking clean from the start and to avoid the spirit and
reputation of enduro mountain bike racing from being brought into disrepute, any cyclist, regardless
of cycling discipline, who has previously been found guilty by any court or regulatory body of any
use of or involvement with banned, performance enhancing drugs will not be entitled to compete or
take part in any Enduro World Series event.
Any cyclist prevented from competing or taking part in any Enduro World Series event by virtue of
the foregoing paragraph may appeal to the Board of EWS for exemption from that rule and in
exceptional circumstances the Board of EWS may at its absolute discretion grant such an exemption.
However, in the interests of transparency within the sport of enduro mountain bike racing, the Board
of EWS reserve the right to maintain a zero tolerance approach to drug taking in cycling and will
communicate any appeal decision publicly."
I just put myself in the shoes of the second place finisher who doesn't apply masking agents and doesn't sip from unknown bottles - if those violations don't get penalized
Groupies will be tested before entering at all official UCI EWS afterparties,
UCI in 2019:
If a guy can get off by kissing his girlfriend (yeah, right) then he should’ve been in a much stronger position.
Riders and teams need to up their professional game, take responsibility and put procedures in place to ensure stupid, easily avoidable mistakes like this don't happen.
I hope this actually wakes up teams or federations to review & tighten any processes that could lead to this for their own riders and ensure nobody else has to sit out 90 days.
Martin is a superb rider, athlete, role model and much valued member of my Fantasy team all season but this time you have to say, as he has, "I messed up".
*
www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/wada_2019_english_prohibited_list.pdf
@Dropthedebt:
Yes, MM should have taken the drug to save his leg.
No, MM should not have raced next EWS without checking banned substance list (and applying for TUE) first
At the very least, they should have checked once they got back within cell range. If they had, they would have quickly found it, then gone back for the TUE and all would have been fine.
Getting a TUE that late in game (post testing) doesn't work. They don't allow it because it's way to easy to abuse. And the UCI has to remain hard and fast regarding their rules.. the whole system breaks down if they don't.
Martin and team made a stupid mistake and were lightly penalized for it. It's very unfortunate... but if you're going to compete in the big leagues, the riders and their teams need to step it up and take care of business.
Going forward, you know every rider and team member will have updated lists accessible on their phones and computers... as they already should have.
EWS is a young professional sport, growing and learning. In the long run this will be good for the sport.
HOWEVER, being 100% sure of what you're about to put in your athlete's body is practically Rule #1 even for amateur athletes (source: a friend of mine is a paralympian) if your sport has anti-doping controls. Professionals, whose duty it is to be aware and whose livelihoods depend on being allowed to compete, have even less of an excuse. WADA doesn't f*ck around so neither should anyone else.
Should he/the team have the list on their phone? Yes. Should they have double checked after? Yes. But once it was in his system, he should not have raced again in the next race. Kissing his GF on the other hand ... .