Miguel Ángel López has been provisionally suspended by the UCI after the Colombian was notified of a potential Anti-Doping Rule Violation.
An investigation by the International Testing Agency (ITA) found that López may have possessed and used a prohibited substance in the week leading up to the Giro d’Italia 2022. The evidence stemmed from an investigation by Spanish law enforcement and Spanish Anti-Doping into Dr Marcos Maynar, who is suspected of heading up a drug trafficking operation. In a statement, the UCI said it has suspended López pending a final decision.
The 29-year-old abandoned that year’s Giro on stage 4 citing pain in his left thigh. In late July 2022, López was provisionally suspended by Astana-Qazaqstan for his suspected links to Maynar. The suspension was lifted nine days later and he went on to finish fourth at the Vuelta a España.
But in December, López was let go by Astana-Qazaqstan following allegations that new evidence in the Maynar investigation seriously implicated the rider.
López has raced for the Colombian Continental-level outfit Medellín-EPM this year, winning a national time trial title, the opening stage of the Tour of the Gila before DNFing the next day, and then winning nine out of 10 stages of the Vuelta a Colombia en route to taking the overall classification. He is currently racing the Tour de Panamá where he finished first, second, and then first again across the opening three stages.
López harboured hopes of competing in the 2023 Glasgow World Championships, which will now not be possible due to his suspension.
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