UK Anti-Doping agency expresses concern for Lizzy Banks' well-being and promises to "look into what it can do to better support athletes" going through the same as Banks
Cycling
UK Anti-Doping has admitted it is concerned with riders' well-being and will review its support to athletes going through the trial, after cycling Elizabeth Banks revealed her life had been turned upside down by a 10-month case which concluded she was at 'no fault or negligence' for a positive doping test.
The 33-year-old cyclist has represented Great Britain at the 2019 and 2020 World Championships. Banks, who had been racing for then WorldTour team EF Education-Tibco-SVB, when she was notified of the result last July, has published a lengthy blog post about an ordeal which she says has cost her around £40,000.
Her post launched a wave of heartwarming support towards Banks, while another wave hit UKAD with harsh criticism for ruining the athlete's life for a mistake of their own system, not even offering any sort of compensation or help for the affected athlete.
In a statement, UK Anti-Doping said: "Following concerning reports in the media and comments made by professional cyclist Ms Elizabeth Banks on Tuesday 21 May 2024, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirms that Ms Banks has committed anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) and that the applicable period of ineligibility has been eliminated on the basis that Ms Banks bore no fault or negligence for those ADRVs."
"UKAD also notes Ms Banks’ comments with concern and will be looking into what it can do to better support athletes going through anti-doping rule violation proceedings."
Anyhow this will be too little and mainly too late for Banks, who has already announced her retirement following an exhaustive period in her life, after which in her words she "could not risk putting (her) family both through anything like this again."
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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.
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- He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...Dariusz08-11-2026
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parisbound0008-11-2026 - there needs to be space in life for pointless comments!Ketterechts08-11-2026
- That is a very lazy way of putting it but so far on this website it seems like everyone is happy to look at everything lazily, even things that annoy them intensely. All they want to do is state their feeling and position but ask most to analyse a problem or come up with solutions or improvements and you’re stunned by silence. Nobody even really knows how this all happens. It’s very simple and quick to just say the UCI did it but I bet you they didn’t, I bet you not more than 2 people were involved, more likely just 1. The UCI may be ultimately responsible but it is not their decision, this is about hierarchy, power and delegation. The fact that protest is possible also means it isn’t over and that MORE people could get involved for a thorough review which could throw up anything. It is highly likely it was a sole commissar who decided and has that power in a first round. Therein might lie the problem the UCI has to consider, is it acceptable to give so much authority to one single person when it is quite possible for them to have a natural bias or be too easily susceptible to imposed bias. Who is to say an individual in this position isn’t susceptible to collaboration with outside players with interests in the results, nations, families, teams, betting companies, etc. On the one hand we have sports where these problems have been worked on way more to reduce such problems, on the other hand we have sports with far stricter and more draconian rules not even concerning safety or obstruction that nobody really questions like false starts or stepping out of lane or zones in athletics. If cycling hastowork on itself, it would be good if protagonists (all kinds) would start doing a little more than just moaning over outcomes.Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
- Yes, so why not make comments less pointless?Jumpyjohn08-11-2026
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