Canyon-SRAM rider Shari Bossuyt tests positive for Letrozole
Team has suspended Belgian rider as they await AFLD decision
Photo by:
Shari Bossuyt/Instagram
Shari Bossuyt from the Canyon-SRAM team has been suspended from racing after testing positive for Letrozole, a prohibited substance. Bossuyt is the current madison world champion and began racing for the Women’s WorldTour team, Canyon-SRAM in 2023.
CANYON//SRAM Racing statement concerning Shari Bossuyt. pic.twitter.com/DggZD0LZPB
— CANYON//SRAM Racing & CANYON//SRAM Generation (@WMNcycling) June 4, 2023
In 2022, ‘cross rider Toon Aerts also tested positive for Letrozole. He denied ever using the drug and would not accept a two-year suspension. However, Aerts has still not yet provided evidence supporting his claim that his case was a result of contamination. Letrozole is an aromatase inhibitor, meaning that it blocks an enzyme responsible for a key step in the formation of estrogens, according to the USADA website. Normally, it is found in medications that are used to fight estrogen-dependent breast cancer in women. Letrozole’s potential doping effect is comparable to testosterone and is therefore included on WADA’s list of prohibited substances.
Canyon/Sram posted a statement about the A and B sample positive on Sunday on Twitter.
“Canyon/SRAM Racing has a zero-tolerance stance towards any use of prohibited substances in accordance with WADA Anti-Doping Regulations. Adherence to the anti-doping rules is therefore part of all contracts between all riders and Canyon/SRAM Racing,” the statement read. “In accordance with its own anti-doping rules, the team has made Shari provisionally non-active for Canyon/SRAM Racing. The team is now waiting for the decision of The French Anti-Doping Agency before taking any further action.”
Bossuyt and her manager are scheduled to hold a press conference in Belgium on Monday.