Manzana Postobon responds as team faces suspension following positive tests

Colombian team Manzana Postobon has responded as the outfit faces a racing ban after to two recent positive tests from their riders.

The Professional Continental outfit could be suspended for up to 45 days after the UCI notified the squad of two anti-doping rule violations (ADVRs) in the last 12 months.

Juan José Amador was the latest Manzana Postobon rider to fail a drugs test, with the UCI announcing on Monday (May 20) the 21-year-old had returned an adverse analytical finding for the banned steroid Boldenone.

Amador, who has ridden for Manzana Postobon since 2017, has denied any wrongdoing as the team have announced they will stand by him.

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In a statement posted on social media, Amador said: “Since I was a child I’ve been in the Manzana Postobon team.

“During my time in the team, they’ve ensured I play clean and that I be a sportsman with integrity in line with the principles of the team and with my philosophy of life.

“I do not accept this test.”

The UCI has informed Amador of a the adverse analytical finding for the drug from a sample taken during an out-of-competition test in October last year.

He is the second Manzana Postobon rider to be suspended in the last 12 months, after Wilmar Andres Pares Zapata tested positive for EPO in February.

These two tests trigger the UCI rules which mean the team could be suspended for between 15 to 45 days.

The UCI disciplinary commission will issue a decision on the team’s suspension “in due course."

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A statement from Manzana Postobon said: “The team will support the rider during this difficult situation, until a definitive conclusion can be reached regarding the adverse result.

“The team reiterates that it remains faithful to its philosophy of respecting clean cycling, free of doping, based on its ethical principles and transparency that has always been inculcate to all its members.

“The team will be in contact with all the control organisations in the fight against doing and with the UCI to work together to clarify this adverse result.”

Manzana Postobon, which is a member of the Movement for Credible Cycling anti-doping organisation, has internally suspended Amador as a result of this positive test.