British rider says he has 'no respect for the sanction'
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Race leader Jonathan Tiernan-Locke goes to sign on as race winner but lost the race after a positive doping test in 2014(Image credit: Rob Lampard)
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (Endura) in gold at the Tour of Britain press conference(Image credit: Rob Lampard)
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (Sky Procycling)(Image credit: Isabelle Duchesne)
Jonathan Tiernan-Locke has hit back at comments made by UCI President Brian Cookson in relation to the former Endura Racing and Team Sky rider's two-year ban for a Biological Passport violation. Tiernan-Locke, who was also stripped of his 2012 Tour of Britain win, has told Cyclingnews that he has "no respect for the sanction" and "no faith in the governing body".
At the Tour de France presentation in Paris last Wednesday the UCI President told Cyclingnews, "Mr Tiernan-Locke needs to consider his situation very carefully. He has to look at the terms and conditions of his sanction. I see that he's talking about coaching again, well I'm afraid that he's banned from coaching or any event in any capacity that has anything to do with the UCI or any national federation affiliated with the UCI."
Cookson's comments were sparked by an earlier interview on Cyclingnews in which Tiernan-Locke called the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) hearing into his Passport case, "a mickey mouse" court. He also confirmed that he would continue a level of coaching, something that Cookson stated goes against the rider's current ban.
"To hear Jonathan say things like the UKAD anti-doping hearing was a mickey mouse court, I think that's very foolish and not a wise thing to have said. I'm giving him a message that's quite clear, he's putting himself in a deeper and deeper hole. He would be wise to accept his sanction and if he wants to return in two years then let's see what happens," Cookson said.
Tiernan-Locke, who has protested his innocence, despite what the anti-doping authorities believed was a convincing case told Cyclingnews that since reading Cookson's comments he would continue his coaching.
"Whilst I know I can't compete, I have no respect for the sanction and won't waste my time reading the terms," he told Cyclingnews.
"Obviously I can't take it any further, but I now have no faith in the governing body or the process I went through. I've spent the majority of my life involved with cycling and that's not going to change. I will continue to be involved during my ban, and continue coaching and giving advice to athletes. Nobody can stop me doing that."
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In our video, Cookson responded to claims made by Tiernan-Locke in relation to his UKAD hearing and subsequent doping ban, telling the British rider he is “putting himself in a deeper and deeper hole.”
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Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
