"Respect must never be forgotten" - Rider explains how just hours after she lost her mother she was subjected to a home anti-doping test
Cycling
Valentina Cavallar has shared one of the most difficult experiences of her personal life in an Instagram post. The Austrian cyclist explained that she decided to end her season early after the Tour de France for personal and family reasons, following the loss of her mother in September.
As well as describing how the experience has changed her outlook on life, she recounted an incident that took place just hours after her mother’s death. It made her reflect on the need to remember the human side of professional athletes.
“For personal and family reasons, I had to end my season early after this year’s Tour de France,” her post begins. Cavallar says she usually prefers to keep her private life out of the public eye, but feels this experience is important and deserves to be shared.
The cyclist explains that her mother’s death has changed her perspective on what really matters. In a sport where results, victories and targets take up much of everyday life, losing someone dear has led her to question her priorities.
“Losing someone you love changes the way you see life forever”
“You can spend much of your life chasing goals, pushing your limits and measuring success in results, victories and achievements. But losing someone you love makes you realise how little any of that matters in the end,” she reflects.
Cavallar stresses that life is not about piling up successes, earning the highest honours or making sure everyone knows your name. For her, what truly matters is the people you love, the moments you share with them and the memories you make together.
The athlete admits she had always understood how important her family was, but says she did not fully grasp just how much until she had to face life without her mother.
A doping test just hours after her mother’s death
The most difficult part of her post comes when Cavallar describes what happened just hours after her mother died. She says she had to undergo a doping test at home while still coming to terms with her loss, in a room next to the one where her mother lay.
“What made the experience even harder was that, just a few hours after my mother had passed away, I had to undergo a doping test at home, in the room next to where she was lying,” she says.
The cyclist makes clear that she understands the importance of ensuring clean sport and has always respected the responsibilities that come with being a professional athlete. However, she believes those circumstances were far removed from anything normally associated with her sporting career.
“At that moment, I clearly wasn’t thinking about cycling, competition or my responsibilities as an athlete. I was a daughter who had just lost her mother,” she explains.
Cavallar describes the experience as deeply painful, out of place and disrespectful to her family. Her reflection does not question the need for doping tests, but highlights how the demands of professional sport can clash with moments of profound personal vulnerability.
“There is a human being behind every athlete”
The Austrian cyclist’s post focuses on an issue that reaches beyond cycling: the need to remember that every professional is also a person with a family, feelings and personal circumstances that do not disappear when they start their sporting activities.
Cavallar regrets that this human dimension can sometimes be overlooked when sporting obligations are enforced. She believes clean sport must go hand in hand with empathy and consideration for those facing exceptional circumstances.
“I believe in clean sport. But I also believe that humanity, compassion and respect must never be forgotten,” she concludes.
With these words, Valentina Cavallar has publicly explained why her season ended earlier than planned and shared the painful personal circumstances that have shaped recent months. Her account also prompts reflection on how to balance testing and the responsibilities of professional sport with the respect athletes deserve during the most difficult moments of their lives.
*Article image from Valentina Cavallar’s Instagram
Juan LarraCycling Journalist
Juan Larra is a writer for Cyclinguptodate and editor-in-chief of Ciclismoaldia, where he has played a central role since its inception. Under his leadership, the website has become a trusted source for professional cycling coverage, offering in-depth analysis, news, and feature stories.
A sports journalist with over 20 years of experience, Juan earned his degree in Journalism from the University of Seville in 2007. He began his career covering a wide range of sports—including football, basketball, Formula 1, MotoGP, tennis, and cycling—for platforms such as the official La Liga app, Vodafone and Movistar websites, NBA Blogdebasket, and Cadena Cope, honing his skills in writing and editorial management.
In addition to his work at Ciclismoaldia, Juan contributes to Cyclinguptodate and serves as editor-in-chief for the tennis-focused site Tenisaldia. Throughout his career, he has conducted exclusive interviews with cyclists and sports figures, provided detailed analysis of competitions ranging from local Spanish races to major international events, and acted as a special correspondent at prestigious races including Paris-Roubaix, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Juan’s combination of experience, expertise, and direct access to athletes has established him—and the platforms he leads—as authoritative voices in professional cycling.
claps 0visitors 0
Just in
Popular news
Latest comments
- I think he does or goes to whichever team gives him the scope to become the rider everyone thinks he'll be when Tadej stops.. that simpleslappers6612-10-2026
- I remember at one time he was mentioned in the same breath as Seixas. no more. Onley has a lot of work to do to be deserving of that.mij12-10-2026
- I hope he goes to Bahrain-Victorious to mentor Jakob
Rafionain-Glas12-10-2026 - I hope he stays! Cycling is more fun with Primoz, even if he is not winning.mij12-10-2026
- yes for sure, there will be more chances for him at Euro than Lombardia. I wonder if that emotion wasn't also because he knows he has now been eclipsed by a younger rider w/o his goals being checked off. At least when Seixas over takes Tadej someday, Tadej will have accomplished his major goals. He still has Roubaix left, but Seixas isn't a threat there. And he should find a year to get Vuelta. Remco now is behind at least 2 riders w/o ever having won a Tour, one monument to his name, and the next few World Championships are not Remco friendly. I would still take Remco's wins though!!!mij12-10-2026
- Remco was at 100%. He raced as expected: 15th best on the climbs and then best in the sprint of the chasing group. Exactly what he did at Liège-Bastogne-Liège, where he was on similar form. His win in Amstel was comparable to Quebec or the EurosRafionain-Glas12-10-2026
- "inside the tent pissing out" is an idiom based on a quote from President Lyndon Johnson. Not sure if you're saying you don't understand the term. The full phrase is "it's probably better to have him inside the tent pissing out, than outside the tent pissing in."wrsty12-10-2026
- Pissing out?? Who is forcing them? They can follow Ayuso's example. And they can be leaders on another team. Ayuso's example again. :)MajorPayne12-10-2026
- Hmm it's an interesting take with certain disclaimers e.g. comparing them at the same age (Pogi wasn't given chances so early in his career so we will never know), the level of the competitors in the race or tour (really hard to compare, as you would be looking at multiple competitors, let alone comparing just Seixas vs Pogi). In any case, Seixas' future certainly looks very bright, especially as he has the advantage of youth, access to new scientific knowledge/methods that weren't around when Pogi started, and most importantly has Pogi as an extremely good example to aspire to (e.g. copying training methods, nutrition, tactics, race craft, etc., to list just a few...).Pogboom12-10-2026
- > He’s so much better than Pogacar was at 20 years old It does not mean NOTHING. What is important how long you can be at the top. Most of the best riders are (really) good for 4-5 years (Alaphilippe, Sagan), of course outside this window you can win stages etc. but forget about GC winner in main tours. Talents like Pogacar (in case of GC) or MvdP (monuments or CX - 15 years being on top!!!) are rarity. It might be that if you start being good fast, you end up being good still young.averagecyclist12-10-2026
Loading
Write a comment