US amateur rider handed four-year doping ban after winning cat three race

An amateur rider in the US has been handed a four-year doping ban after winning a third category race at the Arizona State Championships. 

Matt McWhirter, 49, took victory in the men’s Cat three event at Bike the Bluff, in the city of Show Low, Arizona in June. 

Following his victory from a two-up sprint in the 93km (58-mile) race on June 19, McWhirter was tested by the United States Anti-Doping Agency as part of the RaceClear Program, which aims to deter doping in cycling from amateur to elite level. 

McWhirter tested positive for testosterone or its precursors, and has now been banned from competition for four years by USADA.

He has been stripped of all results from June 19, 2021 and will have to forfeit any medals, points or prizes from that date. 

McWhirter was tested after he won the Bike the Bluff Arizona State Championships in June, where he claimed victory in the six-rider race after two hours and 18 minutes of racing. 

A statement from USADA, released on September 30, said: “McWhirter, 49, who placed first in the Men’s Cat 3 at Bike the Bluff on June 19, 2021, tested positive for an anabolic agent as the result of an in-competition drug test at that event.”

“Anabolic agents like testosterone have powerful performance-enhancing capabilities and can give an athlete an unfair advantage over fellow competitors."

McWhirter’s ban started on August 4, 2021, the date he was provisionally suspended.

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