Simon Yates failed a drugs test at Paris-Nice, which his team says was due to an "administrative error"
Simon Yates has failed a drugs test according to a report in the Daily Mail, with British Cycling confirming that the UCI has notified them of a failed test from a British rider
The Mail reported that the rider is “a road specialist but a former star of the British track team” who failed a test at a race in France last month, later alleging that Yates tested positive at Paris-Nice.
Yates’s team, Orica-GreenEdge, has confirmed the failed test, which it says is for Terbutalin. In a statement, the team said that Yates took the substance to combat asthma, but that due to an “administrative error” by the team doctor, Yates did not have the required Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) to allow him to use the drug.
British Cycling said in a statement: “British Cycling can confirm that it has been notified by the UCI of a potential anti-doping rule violation against a British rider based on an analysis of a sample provided in competition.
“As with any other doping violation charge at this level, those proceedings will be managed independently of British Cycling by the UCI.”
Daily Mail names Simon Yates as the British Cycling rider caught up in a doping scandal. I put his name to British Cycling. They didn't deny
— Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) April 28, 2016
It is another blow for British Cycling in the run up to the Olympics, with technical director Shane Sutton resigning over allegations of sexism and discrimination against para-cyclists.
The governing body has also been asked to investigate whether lottery-funded kit is being sold online for profit – allegations which it denies.