Doping case of Michel Hessmann closed, the Visma rider receives a ban from WADA that runs until March 2025

After more than year, Michel Hessmann's doping case finally comes to a wrap as the German rider reaches an agreement with World anti-doping agency over his positive test from June 2023. Hessmann will receive a ban that runs until March 14 next year.

Hessmann tested positive for a plasmid in June 2023, two weeks after he was part of Primoz Roglic's winning Giro team for Jumbo-Visma. The B sample also came back positive, although the German doping authority NADA accepted Hessmann's 'not consciously' explanation: he was given the least possible suspension of four months. WADA did not agree and filed an appeal, but now the case is finally closed.

Rainer Cherkeh, Hessmann's lawyer, explained that the positive test was caused by a contamination in a widely available painkiller. The NADA also confirmed this in their report 'as the most likely cause', but the NADA still went to the CAS: the highest institution in sports law.

The settlement has given Hessmann certainty, which is important for the further continuation of his career. The German's contract with Visma | Lease a Bike ends at the end of this season and as such is not expected to be extended. Hessmann will be 24 years old at the time his suspension ends and can therefore still race in the professional peloton for a long time, although there are not that many teams willing to take the gamble on a rider with tainted doping history.