It was May 2022 and Torstein Træen was in the Sierra Nevada mountains in Spain tucking into a big breakfast with his Uno-X Pro Cycling team-mates. The date has stuck in his mind. “It was Friday the 13th – we were joking with each other that something bad was going to happen today,” remembers the 27-year-old Norwegian, speaking to me by phone from a winter training camp in Altea, Spain. Træen recalls the exact moment when, while walking back to his room to get ready for the day’s ride, his phone rang. It was Knut Rønning, the team’s doctor. “He asked me if I had read the email in my inbox, and I was like, ‘yeah, yeah’.” But Træen had skimmed over it, missing the email’s significance. Rønning spelled it out: “You’ve returned a positive for hCG from the Volta a Catalunya.”
The letters ‘hCG’ stand for human chorionic gonadotropin, a sex hormone that in females triggers critical processes during pregnancy but which in males is usually found only in very low levels. It is on WADA’s banned doping list for male athletes because hCG products stimulate testosterone production.
Bu hikaye CYCLING WEEKLY dergisinin February 16, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye CYCLING WEEKLY dergisinin February 16, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Claud Butler Criterium
A classic British brand ridden by beginners and Olympians alike
Dr Hutch
At what point does a bold show of strength become brazen showboating? The Doc ponders the etiquette of the long solo break
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT...CBD
From reducing pain to promoting relaxation and sleep, myriad are the claims made for cannabidiol but do they stack up? Rob Kemp finds out
Van Rysel D900
Andy Turner discovers whether Decathlon's high-spec, low-price smart trainer can compete with the likes of Wahoo, Tacx and Elite
What prep does my bike need for summer?
Pro bike mechanic Glen Whittington shares his tips for the successful de-hibernation of your bike
2024 GIRO D'ITALIA
Attention turns to Italy and 21 days of Grand Tour action
Pogačar's dominance at the Giro could be dull
While I may have been a little young to understand the full romance of the Tour de France during the Armstrong era, I never understood the sentiment that it was boring just because of Lance's dominance.
Team GB's Paris Olympics track bike launched
BC reveals the bike that it hopes will power riders to medals in Paris this summer
Romandie victory marks Ineos return to stage race success
Carlos Rodríguez wins British team's first WorldTour stage race since 2022, writes Adam Becket
Is pro racing getting more dangerous?
There are many factors that contribute to the perceived greater risks. One that does not get any attention is the greater importance of UCI points and the need to constantly collect them to avoid relegation.