Polish star tests positive for EPO
Kacper Gieryk found to have used the banned blood booster at the 2024 road worlds
Photo by: SirottiKacper Gieryk, the 21-year-old Polish time trial specialist and triple under-23 national champion, has been provisionally suspended by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) after testing positive for erythropoietin (EPO). The positive result comes from an anti-doping test conducted on Sept. 24 2024, one day after the UCI world championships in Zurich, where Gieryk finished 40th in the under-23 time trial.
Old school doping?
Epo is a hormone that boosts red blood cell production, improving oxygen delivery and stamina. Banned by the UCI and other sporting bodies, EPO enhances performance but carries health risks, including blood clots and stroke. Its widespread use in the 1990s was tied to doping scandals involving all kinds of prominent riders, and anti-doping agencies now test for it in blood and urine samples. There was a long time when there was no test. Instead, the UCI created a threshold for haematocrits of riders: 50 for men, and 47 for women.
The long history of EPO
Several high-profile cyclists have been implicated in EPO doping over the years, particularly during the 1990s and early 2000s, when it was a common drug of choice. If you are just back from a stint to Jupiter, some of those riders include American Lance Armstrong, who admitted to using EPO as part of a broader doping regimen during his career.
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There was also the late Marco Pantani, who was suspected of using EPO despite never being caught in a test during his prime. German Jan Ullrich was implicated in the “Operación Puerto” doping scandal. American Floyd Landis confessed to using EPO alongside other substances. And there was Frenchman Richard Virenque, who was involved in the 1998 “Festina Affair” scandal. Who could forget Armstrong’s teammate Tyler Hamilton, who admitted to using EPO and other performance-enhancing drugs during his career?
Provisional suspension
Gieryk can still request analysis of his B-sample. Under UCI anti-doping regulations, the suspension is provisional while the investigation and potential analysis of the B-sample are ongoing.
In 2022, he rode for HRE Mazowsze Serce Polski before joining the JEGG-DJR Academy in 2023. After a stint with TC Chrobry Scott Głogów in 2024, he signed with Lubelskie Perła Polski in July, with a contract through 2025.
Some of Gieryk’s top results include a win at the 2023 Chrono des Nations and 7th in the general classification at the 2022 Orlen Nations Grand Prix. He also placed 3rd in the European continental championships men’s under-23 individual time trial in 2023 and has won three national under-23 time trial titles in 2022, 2023, and 2024.