"I even checked the calendar to see if it was April Fool’s Day" - Ruben Guerreiro denies anti-doping regulation breaking with Movistar

Ruben Guerreiro said he was surprised by the way his name was linked to a story he considers unfounded, rejecting any irregularities regarding his whereabouts or the ADAMS system in which the riders are mandated to share their location with the anti-doping authorities. The Portuguese rider is taking a break from the sport and explains the reasons why.

According to Spanish news outlet AS, Guerreiro, former rider for Movistar until the end of 2025, had an instance in which he hadn't reported his location in the ADAMS system. Recently, his former teammate Vinicius Rangel was suspended for two years for committing that error on three occasions within a year.

“I even checked the calendar to see if it was April Fool’s Day. I have no issues with whereabouts, I didn’t commit any illegality, I’ve never even received a missed test warning. It’s normal to make a small mistake sometimes, but I’ve never had any problem and I don’t understand the basis of the story. In these 11 years as a professional, the people who are with me know I’ve always been transparent, dedicated to the work, and ethical.”

The rider explained in a conversation with Topcycling that the lack of recent contacts with teams has exclusively physical reasons, not disciplinary ones. Since November, the priority has been recovery, far from the training load demands typical of high-performance cycling.

" I’ve never seen a cyclist make the news for a missed test, but I have no notification. There’s no basis for it.”

A former stage and KOM jersey winner at the 2020 Giro d'Italia, winner at the 2022 Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge, Guerreiro signed with Movistar in 2023 to be one of its leaders. The collaboration started perfectly with a GC win at the AlUla Tour and a second place to Jonas Vingegaard at the 2023 Gran Camiño, but that ended up being the highlight of his three-year stint with the team.

The physical issue affecting this phase goes back further and originated during a training camp preparing for a Grand Tour, at a time when the suffering clearly exceeded acceptable limits.

“The first major inflammation happened at a training camp with the team for the Giro d’Italia; I couldn’t even sleep, let alone train. I’ve had problems with my neck, where I have a hernia [...] In 2024 things weren’t properly assessed and I’ve been pushing through all this time.”

In 2024 he suffered a hernia that, amongst other injuries, causes him a great deal of lingering pain which he has not yet been able to recover from. He has not retired from the sport, but has mad the conscious decision to take a break from competition so as to work on his recovery.

“We stopped talking to teams because, since November, I haven’t been able to do a 25–30 hour week. My focus now is the gym and physiotherapy. A bit of cycling as far as my body allows. I’m not going to fool anyone when I can’t perform my job," he continued.

Despite the difficult context, the cyclist isn’t closing the door on the future and offers veiled criticism of how the market reacts to injuries or weaker seasons, especially for riders over 30.

“I haven’t committed to anyone yet because I’m not fit to compete, but I’m working on my recovery. Teams seem desperate to try to counter the front-runners and end up getting confused. A 31-year-old cyclist who has a poorer year or an injury ends up being shelved, but there are still many riders over 30 who do a great job and show that age is just a number.”

For the rider, performance is still achievable at any stage of a career, as long as there’s alignment among all parties involved. “Anything is achievable in terms of performance, as long as people are connected and there’s willingness from all sides.”

During this period, he received medical support outside of cycling, something he considers crucial to the recovery process. “There was a major football club that helped me, the doctor from a big club, who referred me to a specialist and I’m very grateful for that. I’m cautious and prefer to do things right and quietly.”

The decision not to look for a team was deliberate and communicated to his representatives, following a logic of a controlled pause rather than abandoning the bike. However the lack of communication from Movistar was also a display of a relationship that deteriorated over the years. He has said also that he will not be competing in the vast Portuguese continental scene.

“I informed the people who represent me not to look for a team. I’ll only compete at WorldTour level and, at the moment, the idea is to take a break from my career, but keep the bike present as soon as possible. I want to recover and go step by step, without disconnecting from the bike.”

“At the end of 2024 I asked my agent to step aside. We weren’t communicating well and since then it’s been a bit about fulfilling the calendar and days. In June 2025 I met with a WorldTour team, things were going well, but it didn’t materialize and maybe that was for the best because later I realized I needed time and space to resolve my situation.”

The overall balance of that stint remains positive from a human and competitive point of view, despite a clear incompatibility with the working method.

“I’ll keep my assessments to myself. I prefer to focus only on the good results. It had everything to be a perfect match. I showed my character and who I am: transparent, loyal, a team player. I ended up winning the first race [with Movistar], followed by good results at the Gran Camiño and other races.”

However, adapting to the training system proved a difficult obstacle to overcome.

“They are very loyal to one training system and I never got used to it; I was super sensitive to the training load and that’s what it came down to, a poor adaptation to the training and to their view of performance.”