Jake Latham
Back in March after the Paris-Nice race Simon Yates of Orica-GreenEDGE tested positive to a prohibited substance used to treat the symptoms of asthma.
The sentence was handed down on Friday June 17 and ordered Yates to serve a 4-month race ban for the presence of Terbutaline in his body. The ban was backdated to March 12 but Yates will miss the start of the Tour de France, leaving his twin brother Adam to complete the Tour without him.
Terbutaline can be administered with a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) but Orica-GreenEDGE sought to take responsibility as their doctor failed to apply for the TUE properly for his prescribed medication.
Yates issued a one-time only statement and does not wish to comment any more on the situation after it, stating he wants to put his faults behind him and move forward, looking towards the Tour of Poland next month. Yates will still be eligible for the Olympic Games road race for which he is one of a number of riders in consideration for the Great Britain team.
“I have dedicated the last 13 years of my life to the sport of cycling,” Yates said. “I have worked incredibly hard in this period and am proud of all my success to date. Unfortunately as a result of an honest mistake of my team doctor, whom I trusted wholeheartedly, there will now be a doubt cast over my name, my previous results and any future glories.
“I would like to apologise to my colleagues for once again casting our sport in a negative light. I am very embarrassed and ashamed of this whole situation but I am determined to move forward thus will not be making any further comment publicly about the case.”
