Doping protocols under scrutiny after cyclist tested just hours after mother’s death

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today. Cycling’s doping protocols are under scrutiny after a rider revealed she was subjected to a drugs test just hours after her mother had died, calling the incident “deeply painful, profoundly out of place and disrespectful towards my family”. Austrian rider Valentina Cavallar, who rides for the SD Worx-Protime squad, ended her 2026 season following this summer’s Tour de France Femmes for personal reasons.