Portuguese doping soap opera is back: 3 more top domestic riders suspended for biological passport anomalies

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.