The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has rejected Miguel Angel López's appeal against a four-year doping ban handed to him last year.
The Colombian racer was given a retroactive ban by the UCI, dating from July 25, 2023, after being found guilty of 'use and possession of a prohibited substance, Menotropin' during the 2022 Giro d'Italia.
The drug is used to treat fertility disturbances, stimulating the production of testosterone in men.
After leaving Astana at the end of 2022, he raced on with Colombian team Medellin-EPM in 2023, winning the Vuelta a San Juan, Vuelta al Tachira, and Vuelta a Colombia before he was banned and his results dating back to the 2022 Giro stripped.
On Wednesday, CAS announced that López's appeal had been dismissed following a hearing on November 21, 2024. CAS stated that its panel had made several findings during the hearing.
"Mr López was in possession of Menotropin in violation of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules and took delivery of the substance sometime between May 1-5, 2022," the ruling stated.
"Mr López suffered swelling in his leg just before the start of the Giro d'Italia 2022 and his doctor proceeded on the assumed basis that Mr López had used Menotropin and that it was the cause of the swelling," and "Mr López used the substance sometime between May 1-5, 2022."
CAS stated that it was "satisfied the UCI has discharged its burden of proof", unanimously ruling that López had possessed and used the prohibited substance in breach of UCI regulations.
As such, his appeal has been rejected, and he remains suspended for the original period of ineligibility.
The UCI's suspension was handed down as the result of an investigation by the International Testing Agency (ITA), the organisation stated at the time.
The investigation was "based on evidence from the Spanish Guardia Civil and the Spanish Anti-Doping Organisation (CELAD) in the so-called Operation Ilex" – based around University of Extremadura professor Dr Marcos Maynar.
López swiftly announced that he would appeal the ban to CAS, stating that his suspension was based on an incorrect interpretation of "manipulated phone call transcripts".
"The offence does not exist, and the ban is unjustified," he wrote. "I will appeal immediately, and I will defend my innocence. I hope to be able to return to the world of competitive cycling."
His appeal has now failed, meaning that the former Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España podium finisher won't be eligible to return to racing before 24 July 2027, when he'll be 33 years old.
The UCI issued a response to the CAS decision, stating, "The UCI and the ITA welcome this ruling, which reflects their commitment to protecting the integrity of cycling."
