Brazil's Da Silva Ramos positive for CERA on eve of Olympic Games

The UCI has confirmed that Brazilian rider Kleber Da Silva Ramos has been provisionally suspended after failing an anti-doping test for the banned blood-boosting drug CERA on the eve of the Rio Olympics.

According to a brief statement issued by the UCI, signs of CERA were identified in a sample taken by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) during an out-of-competition control on July 31, six days before the men’s road race. Da Silva Ramos represented Brazil in the road race on August 6, won by Greg Van Avermaet,alongside European based professional Murilo Fischer but failed to finish the hilly race. 

CERA was first detected in 2009, with a series of riders going on to test positive, including Riccardo Ricco, Danilo Di Luca and Davide Rebellin - who sample from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games was retested in 2009.   

Da Silva Ramos has only won one race during a six-year professional career but finished second in the Brazilian national road race championships on June 26 behind Funvic Soul Cycles – Carrefour teammate Flavio Santos. He won a stage at the 2015 Tour de San Luis. Earlier in the 2016 season, Da Silva Ramos rode the La Tropicale Amissa Bongo, the Vuelta a Andalucia Ruta Ciclista Del Sol and the Giro del Trentino.

Da Silva Ramos' name appears at the top of the UCI's list of provisionally suspended athletes as per the UCI Anti-Doping Rules. Further down the list are fellow Brazilian riders Raphael Mesquita Mendes and Pinho Montoya Nunes, who both tested positive for steroids last October.

In March, Mariano Nascimento was banned for four years after testing positive for EPO.

Under the current World Anti-Doping Agency code, Da Silva Ramos faces a similar four-year ban if his positive test is confirmed.