Alberto Gallego had the world at his feet in 2014 when he finished the season as Spain's highest-ranked amateur. However, that career seems to be over now after he was hit with a hefty ban for taking performance-enhancing drugs.
By Brian Canty
Spanish rider Alberto Gallego has been suspended for three years and nine months after testing positive for the banned performance enhancing drug stanozolol in January, according to a statement issued by the UCI.
The 25-year old had only been a professional cyclist for three days when he tested positive the drug.
Gallego looked set for a good career in the sport after finishing seventh in the Route du Sud last year and he subsequently signed for Caja Rural-Seguros RGA this year.
He tested positive on January 3rd and his team promptly fired him and his subsequent ban means he will not be eligible to compete again until October 25, 2019.
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As well as that, all his results back-dated to January 3rd have been wiped from his palmares.
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Gallego pleaded not guilty and believes he is the victim of a contaminated multivitamin.
“At the news, my reaction could only have been what it was: incredulity,” he wrote in an open letter on the Biciciclismo website, a popular Spanish cycling website.
“I have never taken stanozolol. What’s more, after asking doctors, given that I didn’t even know what type of substance it is, I learned that it is a product much better suited for a body builder than a professional cyclist.
"Furthermore, it’s a product that stays in the system for many weeks.
“In my case, it’s illogical to think I could have used that product to improve my performances.
“I understand perfectly that there will be many who don’t want to believe in my innocence, but I’m in no doubt about it,” he said.
“After checking once more all the supplements I have used in recent years, I am more than certain that stanozolol doesn’t appear on any of the labels.
"Therefore, the only option I have is to assume that I have been the victim of a laboratory contamination.
“For me, it’s obvious that if I didn’t take it knowingly, and if it’s not on the labels, I am a victim. And I need everyone’s support to prove it.”
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