Retired rider Jarlinson Pantano banned for four years for doping

Jarlinson Pantano has been banned from cycling for four years, after already retiring from the peloton in the wake of a positive doping test.

The Colombian pro, who last rode for Trek-Segafredo, was initially suspended and fired from his team in 2019 after he returned a positive test for the blood booster EPO.

Pantano then announced his retirement from the sport, saying he didn’t see the point in spending his money to fight the UCI.

On Wednesday (May 20), cycling’s international governing body announced the 31-year-old has been suspended for four years.

A statement from the UCI said: “The UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal has rendered its decision in the case involving Mr Jarlinson Pantano Gómez.

“The Tribunal found the rider guilty of an anti-doping rule violation (presence of Recombinant Erythropoietin) and imposed a four-year period of ineligibility on the rider.”

Pantano tested positive for EPO in an out-of-competition doping test on February 26, 2019 and he was fired from Trek-Segafredo when the result was released by the UCI in April last year.

Then in June of 2019, Pantano announced his retirement while denying he had taken performance enhancing drugs.

The Tour de France stage winner said: “I never thought I’d end my career like this. I feel cheated.

“I am not asking anyone to forgive me because I am innocent.”

Pantano started his career with Colombia-Coldeportes in 2012 and went on to sign with WorldTour squad IAM Cycling in 2015, before the move to Trek in 2017.

His biggest victory was stage 15 of the 2016 Tour de France to Culoz, which he won ahead of Rafał Majka, while Pantano also took Colombia’s national time trial colours in 2017.

After his retirement last year, Pantano ran for office in Colombia in the Cali council elections, but didn't win his seat.

Earlier this week, the UCI also announced that EF Pro Cycling rider Luis Villalobos was provisionally suspended after returning an adverse analytic finding for a growth hormone while riding for his former team.

EF Pro Cycling CEO said the team would not have signed Villalobos if he had known about the AAF.