'Cycling appears to be a model student' - number of doping cases in pro racing declines, but anti-doping group encourages caution

“Although relatively few WorldTour riders have tested positive in recent years, this does not mean that the elite of our sport is 100% clean,” an MPCC spokesperson wrote in a statement.

“For the first time in two years, a World Tour rider has been suspended,” the statement continued, alluding to the ex-Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe athlete, Oier Lazkano. The Spaniard was suspended in October 2025 after irregularities were found in his biological passport whilst riding for Movistar between 2022 and 2024.

Far from a problem contained to WorldTour racing, the MPCC also confirmed the presence of doping within Continental racing: of the 20 professional cases of doping reported in 2025, nine occurred at Continental level. A further 25 riders in Columbia were also serving bans or provisional suspensions in mid December, half of whom were amateur riders.

“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 stated.

These ‘grey areas’ include what the MPCC call the increased “medicalisation of our sport.” The opioid painkiller tramadol was one such “grey area” tackled by the MPCC. Four years on from its eventual ban, the organisation is still fighting to control the widespread use of painkillers in the sport, which they warn could have consequences on riders’ mental health.

“The MPCC not only takes a stand in the fight against doping, which is an ongoing battle, but also wishes to broaden the issue of ‘credible cycling’ to include riders health, support for the fast growth of women’s cycling, the safety in races, etc,” the statement continued.

Of the 20 cyclists found to have doped in 2025, four of them were female cyclists. The MPCC stressed that as the growth of women’s cycling continues to accelerate, the sport will have to be uncompromising in its adherence to anti-doping regulations.

Nevertheless, cycling was only the tenth most quoted sport in doping and sports fraud cases last year, the report continued. Athletics came out on top, followed by weightlifting and tennis.

After years battling the mire of doping scandals, cycling, the report surmises, has the potential to be a “model student after having been considered a weak link for many years.”