Olivia Ray: "I'm very open that I did drugs. I'm just coming to deal with the consequences now"

Olivia Ray has confessed that she took performance-enhancing substances while racing professionally in the United States last year.

In an interview, she disclosed the reason for taking the substance was to gain her boyfriend’s approval. “Like, it interested me, only because it's so taboo," Ray told the Weekend Herald. "It's not something that's talked about, and when it is, it's so negative. It sort of changed my perspective on why people do it . I didn't necessarily choose to take these, but I wasn't necessarily forced,” said Ray.

The first time she used the substance was in May 2021 and then again in November. "I took stuff from about November to December, just the month of November," she said. Her team Human Powered Health dropped her from the roster in March this year without any official reason. “I'm not denying it. I'm very open that I did drugs. I'm just coming to deal with the consequences now," Ray said.

She mentions it should not matter since she tested negative before the race. “In my head, it was, I didn't hurt anyone, and I did it when I wasn't racing, I wasn't tested, I've never tested positive, I will have it out of my system before I get tested again," concluded Ray.

Ray debuted as a professional cyclist in 2021, with the first UCI event of her career being the New Zealand Road Championships held in January this year, which she won narrowly. She has not participated in any other UCI events after being dropped from the team.