Events

Kevin Evans accepts doping charge

By Press Office · 1614 comments

Cycling South Africa reports that the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) has charged mountain bike cyclist, Kevin Evans with doping after identifying serious irregularities in his Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) – a profile of the athlete’s blood parameters.

ccs-62657-0-90136700-1453116564.jpgPhoto credit: Dave Macleod/
Gameplan Media

Mr. Evans accepted the charge of doping and did not contest the findings. The ABP is a longitudinal analysis and the suspicious readings were identified over a period of time, therefore the athlete’s results extending back to 14 March 2014 will be disqualified, with all of the resulting consequences, including forfeiture of any medals, points and prizes.

He will be banned from sport for four years as of 4 March 2015 until 3 March 2019. The athlete has however indicated that he has retired from professional cycling.

Cycling South Africa respects the independence of the SAIDS process. Cycling South Africa further reiterates its zero-tolerance approach to doping in sport and will continue working with SAIDS in the promotion of a drug-free sport via its awareness and extensive testing programmes.

Comments

Pure Savage

Jan 18, 2016, 12:51 PM

ullrich  was never caught either

He paid a fine, instead of a lawyer, so its cool

Marnitz Nienaber

Jan 18, 2016, 12:52 PM

It depends....when last did you take a Myprodol...used an asthma pump....cortisone...B12 injection....a plastic effie......

 

When you're a professional athlete , you know what not to take, no excuses....

BarHugger

Jan 18, 2016, 12:53 PM

When you're a professional athlete , you know what not to take, no excuses....

My comment was at the hubber that suggested he may be the only clean cyclist left.......

Squier

Jan 18, 2016, 12:53 PM

Sad day. I still remember sending a mail to the managing exec responsible for funding the 360Life team to state my support for the continuation of the team after DG was caught. I knew the chances of Kev being clean was slim, but thought I'd lend some support to James at least. Naive, I guess.

 

Wonder if he is going to tell all on 3 Talk with Nolene.

PregoRoll

Jan 18, 2016, 12:54 PM

Its only a matter time before the drug testing technology catches up with the drugs.

 

Give Froomey a few years and he will be caught too

dracs

Jan 18, 2016, 12:55 PM

Clean riders getting some small satisfaction today.  Not too many here seeing the positives in that SAIDS are catching the cheats?  For sure better late than never?  Bio passport convictions are not straight forward

 

 

Waylon Woolcock Retweeted Hendrik Lemmer
Yes well done SAIDS! The circle gets smaller... https://twitter.com/GrootLem/status/689039558235787264 
 
Another one to fall. Former team mates Brandon Stewart, David George. More will follow. Well done SAIDS https://twitter.com/News24/status/689034163983400961 
Harryn

Jan 18, 2016, 12:56 PM

She will probably say it wasn't fair comment based on the facts at the time of the tweets.

Only a journo would say that!

 

A lawyer would say that she acted in good faith upon the instructions of her client, and that she had no cause to believe that he was not clean when she executed her mandate.

Pure Savage

Jan 18, 2016, 12:56 PM

Its only a matter time before the drug testing technology catches up with the drugs.

 

Give Froomey a few years and he will be caught too

 

Hey, hey, relax its not July yet. Froome bashing season is not open yet...

fandacious

Jan 18, 2016, 12:56 PM

Kevin's attitude stinks. He doesnt contest the sanction, but then comes on twitter with excuses. If those excuses were valid, why not contest the sanction

 

he's still lying

fandacious

Jan 18, 2016, 12:58 PM

Well, he did get bust with disco biscuits that one time...

 

Which at some point used to be considered PED

Pipsqueak

Jan 18, 2016, 12:58 PM

In his statement he's got some pretty good excuses. If it's all true. Which it sounds like it is.

fandacious

Jan 18, 2016, 12:58 PM

In his statement he's got some pretty good excuses. If it's all true. Which it sounds like it is.

 

Yeh totally. Its all just a big mistake and he's innocent

BarHugger

Jan 18, 2016, 12:59 PM

Its only a matter time before the drug testing technology catches up with the drugs.

 

Give Froomey a few years and he will be caught too

The technology is there....the list of banned substances however poses another problem....every tom dick and drug is on there because they try and cover all bases....and then some they include only after they become a popular term amongst athletes....

Andrew Steer

Jan 18, 2016, 1:00 PM

 

Flashback Monday...

 

Evans: I did not know

THE-STAR / 

08 November 2012 at 09:00am

Kevin McCallum

Kevin Evans got drunk on Tuesday night after he had learnt his Nedbank 360Life teammate, David George, had tested positive for EPO. He struggled to make sense of the trust that had been broken by someone who had cheated his teammates, his sponsors, his family and his sport. He sought solace in wine to numb the cold, hollow hurt.

“No. I didn’t know. Not at all,” said Evans yesterday when asked if he had had any idea that George was taking banned substances. It was a simple answer to a simple question. He has been asked the same question by his sponsors several times in the last few days. And the answer has been the same. One of his sponsors told me they had also asked Evans straight up if he had ever doped himself. “He said no, absolutely not. Never,” the sponsor said and asked not to be named. “I believed him. I don’t think Kevin could be a good liar. He couldn’t look his family and friends in the eye if he was cheating.”

Evans is contractually bound not to talk about the George affair in detail just yet, but said he would be releasing a statement shortly. He did admit he was devastated by the news and worried that he and Reid would be tarred with the same brush.

Evans and James Reid, the young, up-and-coming mountain bike star, are now in danger of losing their jobs following the suspension of their Nedbank 360Life team on Wednesday. Scott Bicycles South Africa, who supply the two with equipment, also withdrew their sponsorship of the team, and the fall-out continued this morning when supplement supplier, USN, announced that they were terminating their association with him yesterday morning. “USN has a zero tolerance policy on doping in sport,” read the statement.

The two have had an enormous amount of support from the rest of the cycling community following the announcement by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) and George’s subsequent confession on Wednesday. Brandon Els of Scott Bicycles South Africa and Nedbank asked on Twitter whether cycling fans thought they should remain in the sport. The answers were mainly in the positive.

Daryl Impey, who rode with George on MTN some years ago, told Els to continue to back Evans and Reid. “Continue your support. You supported me and I am always grateful for the contributions you made towards my career. Thank you.”

Jeroen Swart, a cycling coach, sports scientist and a member of the Doping Control Review Commission, said that George’s positive was proof that the system was working. When Nedbank tweeted a question asking if they should “pull the sponsorship of the whole team”, Swart replied: “Absolutely not. Punish the athlete, not the team.”

There was a sense that SAIDS had been targeting George for some time now. The rider has returned adverse samples before, and during his time with the South African-sponsored Barloworld team, was rested for two weeks after he was found to have a high hematocrit (volume of red blood cells) level of over the allowed limit of 50 percent. He never tested positive for EPO then, but questions were asked. Athletes are now required to record a blood sample which is kept in a “passport” against which subsequent blood samples can be measured.

“That’s the point of our [blood level] passport system,” said Swart. “Targeted testing based on probabilities of values being suspect. The more data points in the passport, the tighter the net becomes.”

George said yesterday in an SMS that he would “face the music” and accept any punishment that Cycling South Africa gave him. That is one small mercy in all of this, that it will be over quickly. It will not be over quickly for the sport of cycling. And it will not be over quickly for Kevin Evans and James Reid, who are left to pick up the pieces of their career.

Cube120

Jan 18, 2016, 1:01 PM

My letter from Emma Saddleir

She is only a lawyer specialising in social media situations,and one who has taken a keen interest in this type of media as most people believe that "freedom of speech"will protect them.Not the case unfortunately.

But will be interesting to see if an apology is offered,or an offer of retraction of threat will be made as well.Typical legal jargon threats.....GUILTY IS GUILTY IS GUILTY.

boredgirl

Jan 18, 2016, 1:02 PM

I find his response sounds just like his excuse about the "sniper line" at Epic - absolutely disrespectful to his fellow racers and unsportsmanlike behavior. Never "sorry I was wrong". So he took whatever he took because he wanted to be healthy for his family. Fair enough but then why don't you stay away from racing? Seems he never thinks he did anything wrong.  

Tumbleweed

Jan 18, 2016, 1:02 PM

Which at some point used to be considered PED

 

Ja, but the dude had a broken leg at the time. Why one would want to take Es when you ain't gonna be able to cut cool moves on the dance floor is beyond me...

Tumbleweed

Jan 18, 2016, 1:02 PM

Oops, double post...

rouxtjie

Jan 18, 2016, 1:02 PM

whahahhahahahahahah....ag ek kan nie meer nie korporaal

mhbotha

Jan 18, 2016, 1:04 PM

So I wonder who the Caveman is referencing.

 

"1 more to go"

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Ryanpmb

Jan 18, 2016, 1:05 PM

Its only a matter time before the drug testing technology catches up with the drugs.

 

Give Froomey a few years and he will be caught too

 

I don't think the problem lies in the technology. More so the administration and implementation thereof... 

 

Administration, be it for processing dodgy findings or processing a TUE application just simply takes too long. An athlete cannot wait (read derive zero income for) 60 - 90 days for a TUE confirmation. 

Andrew Steer

Jan 18, 2016, 1:05 PM

Sadly these guys great work needs to re-classified to the Fiction section...

 

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2148924/

 

Maybe could be re-jigged into a tale of doping and deception - The Epic Fail

fandacious

Jan 18, 2016, 1:05 PM

If evans was so sick that he needed ozone therapy how the fark could he be racing bikes?

 

own up like a fekking man and admit you cheated

 

****

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