Portuguese doping soap opera is back: 3 more top domestic riders suspended for biological passport anomalies
Cycling
Doping is, unfortunately, a poison that will always accompany cycling. Despite having left behind the darkest era, there are cyclists who continue to cheat and tarnish the image of the sport.
According to the Lusa news agency, cyclists Luis Mendonça, Luis Fernandes and Venceslau Fernandes have been suspended due to anomalies in their biological passports. Sources linked to the process pointed out that the three cyclists were suspended for the last quarter of 2024, without indicating to which years the detected anomalies refer.
The youngest of the cyclists mentioned is 28-year-old Venceslau Fernandes, who last season rode for the AP Hotels & Resorts - Tavira - SC Farense team and won the 2018 Volta a Portugal do Futuro. As a pro, Fernandes has never quite broken through and stepped out of the shadow of his father who had won the Volta a Portugal in 1984.
Luís Mendonça rode last season for the infamous Sabgal / Anicolor. Mendonça was one of the big names talked about in relation to doping - since the word about suspensions of Frederico Figueiredo and Luís Mendonça got out in relation other case. Back then the Portuguese Anti-Doping Authority (ADoP) didn't want to confirm Mendonça among the suspected, but now there seems to be a certainty.
Luís Fernandes hung up his bicycle at the end of 2024, after a season with Credibom - LA Aluminios - Marcos Car. The Lisbon cyclist spent four years working for the Radio Popular - Paredes - Boavista team, where in 2022 he finished 4th overall at the Volta a Portugal, one of the most important results of his career.
With the unofficial publication of these three names, the five cyclists mentioned by the president of the Portuguese Anti-Doping Authority last September have been revealed: Frederico Figueiredo and Luis Mendonça, both from Sabgal / Anicolor Cycling Team, Luis Gomes from GI Group Holding - Simoldes - UDO, Luis Fernandes from Credibom - LA Aluminios - Marcos Car, and Venceslau Fernandes from AP Hotels & Resorts - Tavira - SC Farense, who are joined by Rafael Silva (Efapel) and Nuno Meireles (Louletano), who complete the list of cyclists captured by ADoP in 2024.
Read also
Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
claps 3visitors 2
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
Loading
1 Comments