Mathias Flückiger, silver medalist in cross-country mountain biking at the Tokyo Olympics last year, tested positive for zeranol last June. The Swiss is temporarily suspended and therefore out of the race for the European Championship, scheduled for Friday.
When doping agitates the professional peloton again. This time it’s not about road cycling but mountain biking. Two days after Nairo Quintana was disqualified from the last Tour de France, in which he finished in 6th place, following a positive tramadol test during this Grande Boucle 2022, the Swiss Cycling Federation, informed by Swiss Sport Integrity, announced that the Olympic vice-champion in cross-country had also been caught by the patrol. The Swiss Mathias Flückiger (33 years old), since it is about him, tested positive last June for zeranol, an anabolic substance appearing at all times on the list of prohibited products by the UCI, announced Swiss Cycling, specifying that the control in question took place on June 5 during the Swiss Cross-Country Championships, which took place in Leysin and which saw the victory of… Flückiger. Pending the B sample, the Bernese rider from the Thömus RN Racing team has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect for “alleged violation of anti-doping rules”. Bad news for Switzerland, which sees a serious chance of a podium finish this Friday in Munich.
Fluffy « sous le choc »
After his silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics last year, Flückiger, vice-world champion in the specialty three years in a row (2019, 2020 and 2021), was indeed one of the big favorites in the event. cross-country of the European Championships with the Briton Tom Pidcock and another Swiss Filippo Colombo. In Japan, victory went to the rider of the Ineos Grenadiers team and recent 17th in the Tour de France for his first participation in the Grande Boucle ahead of Flückiger and the Spaniard David Valero Serrano, bronze medalist. Another Swiss Nino Schurter had finished at the foot of this Olympic podium. Questioned by the SRF, the director of the Swiss Federation Thomas Peter said that the news had been “a shock” for the Olympic vice-champion, who had already returned to Switzerland. The sequel could be even more so.
