The World Anti-Doping Agency's Executive Committee has approved the 2024 list of prohibited substances and are now ready to enforce a sport-wide ban on the narcotic painkiller tramadol in competition.
The UCI prohibited the use of tramadol in races starting on March 1, 2019 after years of urging from the Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Crédible and after the 2015 CIRC report stated tramadol was widely used in and out of competition in the sport.
With tramadol added to the prohibited substance list, riders riders will now face a possible four-year suspension and the disqualification of race results.
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Nairo Quintana became the first athlete to be punished for a tramadol after a blood spot sample taken from him during the 2022 Tour de France turned up positive for the drug.
The positive did not result in a ban, only disqualification of his results, but it led to the end of his contract with Arkéa-Samsic even as he insisted he never used the drug. Quintana was not able to find a new team for 2023.
Last year, WADA's ExCo approved a ban on tramadol use in competition but delayed adding it to the prohibited substance list "to provide an additional year for broad communication and education of athletes, their entourage and medical personnel so that there was a better understanding of the practical implementation of tramadol prohibition in competition."
In the latest announcement, WADA said the delay gave "time to the scientific community to adjust the exact procedural details so that fairness can be ensured for athletes" and it has has given "sports authorities time to develop educational tools for athletes, and for medical and support personnel to address the safe use of tramadol for clinical purposes within anti-doping".
While tramadol isn't directly performance enhancing, multiple professional cyclists have said it can help riders push through the pain barrier.
"It kills the pain in your legs, and you can push really hard," former Team Sky rider Michael Barry said.
The drug can also affect riders' ability to concentrate and can cause dizziness - both of which can increase the risk of crashing.
