The UCI has provisionally suspended three-time Polish U23 time trial champion Kacper Gieryk following a positive test for EPO during the 2024 World Championships in Zurich.
Gieryk, 21, was on the governing body's updated list of "License-Holders Provisionally Suspended as per the UCI Anti-Doping Rules", published on Wednesday, November 27.
His potential violation was listed as for dEPO or darbepoetin, which is closely related to EPO (Erythropoietin) and comes under the same umbrella on WADA's prohibited list. Both stimulate the production of red blood cells, however, the former is a re-engineered form of the latter and is more effective, as it stays in the body longer.
There have been suspensions in cycling for darbepoetin previously, including the notable case of Rémy Di Gregorio, who was suspended following a positive test at Paris-Nice in 2018.
Gieryk's violation date was on September 24, just a day after he finished 40th in the U23 time trial at Worlds and three days before he closed out his 2024 season with a DNF in the U23 road race.
He was one of the top Polish talents coming through, having won the U23 Chrono des Nations in 2023 and claimed three national time trial titles in a row at U23 level. Gieryk had also recently extended his time at home Continental Team Lubelskie Perła Polski prior to his suspension.
"We would like to inform you that the rider of our club, Kacper Gieryk, was suspended by the International Cycling Union (UCI) due to the discovery of an illegal doping substance in his body," read a statement from the team on social media.
"We would like to note that this incident concerns the performance while representing our country at the World Championships in September 2024 in Zurich, Switzerland.
"Our club firmly emphasises that we do not tolerate any activity that violates the fair play rules and sports ethics. As a club, we prioritize the image and reputation of our team, so we are waiting for a full explanation. Until the final decision is made, we remain fully ready to cooperate with the appropriate institutions to resolve this situation."
Alongside Gieryk on the list were the already known cases of riders such as Frank Bonnamour, Antwan Tolhoek and Ilkhan Dostiyev.
While the UCI also stresses "that the decisions in this table are not necessarily final and there may be appeal rights for the License-Holder and/or other parties in certain cases", the appeal process is extremely expensive and has seen, in Bonnamour's case anyway, riders forced to end their career.
