https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/martin-maes-suspended-388566

EWS Men’s comp is now wide open!

That MBR website is horrible.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/martin-maes-tests-positive-for-masking-agent-at-ews-rotorua-and-tasmania-receives-90-day-ban.html

Correction….
Martin Maes- doping ban.

If he knew what he was putting in his body then he’s a fool.
If he didn’t know what he was putting in his body then he’s a bigger fool.

Wow! wide open indeed.
So he won’t be competing in Italy, France or Canada then.

Why don’t the event doctors have a list of banned substances?
Sounds like Martins Dr spoke to the race Dr’s and told them what he was prescribing.

Have you read any of the articles @sarawak?
He was prescribed something by a race medic to prevent a serious infection in a cut to his leg – the UCI then declined his TUE.

He did ask whether he was allowed to take the medication or not – but I guess the medical reasoning was more pressing that waiting until they had a phone signal to check the WADA database.

Ridiculous. The UCI is a joke.

He’s still a fool. He didn’t have authorisation. End of.

Seems rather harsh, given the circumstances and doctors statement to the UCI. Especially when compared to theraputic exemptions given to TdF riders for creams and inhalers that have been shown to be potentially performance enhancing.

UCI dropped the ball on this one I feel

He’s still a fool. He didn’t have authorisation. End of.

You’re 100% right. The sensible course of action would have been to go against the three doctors’s advice and risk losing his leg.

If he knew what he was putting in his body then he’s a fool.
If he didn’t know what he was putting in his body then he’s a bigger fool.

Dr Tom Jerram, who prescribed the drug to help boost the effects of antibiotics, described the wound as “life or limb threatening”. Both Martin and his team manager Mark Maurissen inquired if the drug was banned but there was apparently no phone signal to check.

It looks like he was unsure about the drug and couldn’t get clarification. Given the doctors advice I would hardly call it foolish to decide that ones leg or even life should take priority of the rules of a sport. Maybe you should think about that and maybe you’ll come to different conclusion.

“…but I guess the medical reasoning was more pressing that waiting until they had a phone signal to check the WADA database.”

I reckon they made the right choice. The potential to lose a leg (or more) to Necrotising Fasciitis comes well before checking a treatment option is ok with the UCI. Having seen a fair few patients succumb to NF I can tell you, it’s not pleasant. Even ‘just’ a non-NF tissue infection can get pretty nasty.

Very shoddy behaviour by the UCI. Does Maes have the option to appeal this decision?

but I guess the medical reasoning was more pressing that waiting until they had a phone signal to check the WADA database.

The prescription for the relevant drug was 2 days after initial treatment though. You’d think, in that time, they’d have managed to check (it took me about 50 seconds to find it via the WADA site.)

I’m guessing the event doctor wasn’t carrying the stuff, just in case, at the event so the two days was for prescription, which then needed them to get somewhere for it to be fulfilled. I can’t imagine no Web access at any point in that time frame.

It is however very poor of the ews organisation not to ensure that event doctors are issued with a list and know not to prescribe stuff on it.
I don’t think this is a UCI problem, it’s an EWS problem. Their event, their responsibility and unfortunately Maes is punished for their mistake.

Seems like a counter intuitive decision from the UCI to say the least.

If he knew what he was putting in his body then he’s a fool.
If he didn’t know what he was putting in his body then he’s a bigger fool.

If you post this comment before reading the article you’re a …….?

Avdave2 seems to be a bona fide supporter of drug cheats. Glad you clarified that.

Anyone and everyone knows what masking agents are for. He took a chance and got caught. He’s a drug cheat. The only thing he was concerned about was winning the next race. Clean or dirty, it didn’t matter.

The whole TEU system should be scrapped. Wiggo, Froome et al have all played the game. Some get caught. Some get away with it.

It all boils down to the same thing. Drug cheats. And a few besotted fans being upset doesn’t make it right.

Are you aware there is an article to read or are you intentionally avoiding it?

sarawak

Member
He’s still a fool. He didn’t have authorisation. End of.

Harsh.

BruceWee

Member
Are you aware there is an article to read or are you intentionally avoiding it?

Seems to be the latter.

Anyone and everyone knows what masking agents are for. He took a chance and got caught. He’s a drug cheat. The only thing he was concerned about was winning the next race. Clean or dirty, it didn’t matter.

Do you think slicing his leg open in the jungle and filling it with mud was part of his tactics?

I agree with @dangeoubrian – medics working the event should have all information readily available. Martin had 2 days between first seeing the doctor and the meds being taken, so there was plenty of time for everyone involved to do their homework.

I think EWS organisers, riders and teams have got away with being a bit sloppy in the past. This, along with Richie and Jared should serve as an eye opener and there’ll be less sympathy for people caught in the future.

You’re 100% right. The sensible course of action would have been to go against the three doctors’s advice and risk losing his leg.

Or he takes an allowed alternative medication or he withdraws from the event and gets the necessary treatment.

He’s not tested positive for a PED, it’s an agent that can mask a PED. We want a clean sport so unfortunately things like this will happen. Even if something is ingested accidentally, action needs to be taken.

The UCI denied this request on June 1, after the failed tests, but they did accept that the drug would not have enhanced his performance and was administered by a doctor so handed down a more lenient punishment than the maximum two year ban.

So is the issue that the TUE was submitted retrospectively?

I can agree that the (lack of) logic from the UCI is baffling and concerning.

There is (or should be) a third way: this injury is life/limb threatening and he needs X which currently we are unable to determine if it is a banned substance or not. If it is then he will voluntarily withdraw from competition until such time it no long needs to be administered and any potential benefits are long gone.

It all boils down to the same thing. Drug cheats. And a few besotted fans being upset doesn’t make it right.

& you’re ignoring that at Maderia he was clean, so his PED team have sorted out the positive tests…

Also – the alternative, going to hospital, having an IV to sort it is a lot more costly than a couple of pills to enhance the anti-biotics.

I think @sarawak would much rather after having a cut he may tries to believe in healing & not take any anti-biotics, after all, by clearing his leg of infection & preventing it’s amputation, the anti-biotics are clearly PEDs.

The allowed alternative was described in the article and, as the doctor said, it carried it’s own risks. Withdrawing from the event wouldn’t have stopped him from being tested.

It sounds like the event doctor was pretty busy, it’s entirely possible checking up on a treatment he didn’t know he was going to have to prescribe slipped his mind.

What I’m interested in reading is the UCI’s justification for refusing the TUE.

Do we want to end up in the situation where riders are refusing treatment because they are worried about not getting a TUE? If Maes had died because of this would you still have the same opinion?

The whole TEU system should be scrapped. Wiggo, Froome et al have all played the game. Some get caught. Some get away with it.

Don’t forget those cheating bastards at Team Novo Nordisk. Every single one of them is full of PEDs, and all on TUEs. Bloody outrage it is…

So it’s not performance enhancing, was prescribed by a doctor for a legitimate concern following a serious injury and he was denied a TUE? I’m guessing this is because he’d already failed a test when it was applied for, but even so that seems very harsh.

It’s good that doping is being addressed, but this seems like an incredibly poor decision by the UCI.

so with his disqualification for rounds 1 and 2 has he been stripped of the overall points and everyone else bumped up a place?

the other thing I note from the PB article is that the doctors are all volunteers, hopefully this doesn’t make finding medics harder for them in the future

hopefully this doesn’t make finding medics harder for them in the future

Hopefully it’ll encourage the EWS to start employing some and run their world series as a top level professional sport running for profit events in a for profit series.

I feel sorry for Maes but I think the UCI decision is the right one, this (IMO) is more about saying “not good enough” to the EWS and less about saying “naughty boy” to Maes.

Martin had 2 days between first seeing the doctor and the meds being taken, so there was plenty of time for everyone involved to do their homework.

That’s not what I took from doctor’s response in the Pink Bike article. He first saw the doctor on the 8th, then again on the 10th. It was on the 10th that probenicid was prescribed.

Given that it’s not performance enhancing and the doctor was used by the UCI at events, and it was checked with another UCI race doctor I think the punishment is a bit harsh to be honest.

seems fair enough – looks like they applied for a TUE after a drugs test. Seems fair enough from the UCI’s point of view if thats the case.

Sarawak just put your hand up and say I’m sorry I didn’t read it properly and jumped to conclusions. I’m not saying there is anything wrong with the 90 day ban, something in your system that means you can’t race then a period of time for that to be eliminated from your body is fine. But to equate every breach of the rules as an attempt to cheat is ridiculous.

He was given the drug at the NZ Enduro not the EWS. And as far as I can tell the NZ Enduro has no UCI affiliation.

It is unfortunate, but under strict liability rules the UCI have made the correct judgement. You will be hard-pressed to get a TUE for a masking agent/diuretic. The doctors should have known this beforehand and it is easy to check for banned substances online. Some punishment is required for the transgression, but they have imposed the minimum, having accepted the athlete’s explanation in full. See Simon Yates for a similar technical infringement.

EDIT – the no phone signal is interesting but not really mitigating – they could have just administered the antibiotic (not a banned substance) at a dose either higher or more often for the same effect until probenecid use was either permitted or denied.

Having read all the available info I think you’re correct TiRed, UCI are hamstrung by their own rules in this case. I can see why they’ve taken the action they have. Must be frustrating for all.

He should have checked the drug against the WADA list on returning from the event and applied for a TUE then rather than waiting until a failed test.

I don’t get all the anti-UCI stuff

seems fair enough – looks like they applied for a TUE after a drugs test. Seems fair enough from the UCI’s point of view if thats the case.

More than that, they applied for the TUE after having been notified of an adverse analytical finding. You can’t really expect to be granting people TUE’s when caught. That is even dodgier ground than the TUE process that is already in place. Bit misleading for GT to imply the UCI let them down and didn’t allow them a retrospective TUE because they are UCI meanies

He should have checked the drug against the WADA list on returning from the event and applied for a TUE then rather than waiting until a failed test.

Indeed. Maes acknowledges he was naive not to but good on him for apparently using his ban time to educate other riders and make something positive out of this

He was given the drug at the NZ Enduro not the EWS.

You’re right. My bad, it’s not unreasonable for a “just for fun” event to have doctors not fully familiar with with the WADA regs since they’re fairly irrelevant to the event.

Flip side of that though is its all the more reason for the team (if he’s riding under their banner) or Maes to have the list and take the alternative options or accept a likely punishment if that’s the lesser risk (probably the cynic in me but “risks and costs” to me sounds like it’s mainly costs)

Nice to see the UCI putting the health and safety of its riders paramount. Ahem.