The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has provisionally suspended Colombian rider Germán Darío Gómez Becerra (Team Polti VisitMalta) after an out-of-competition test returned an adverse analytical finding for boldenone.
The sample was collected on 28 December 2025, the UCI said. Gómez, a 24-year-old climber, has the right to request analysis of his B sample.
"In accordance with the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the rider has been provisionally suspended," the governing body stated. The UCI said it would not comment further while proceedings are ongoing.
Boldenone and its metabolites are classified under S1.1 (Anabolic Androgenic Steroids) on the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2025 Prohibited List. As a non-specified substance, detection triggers a mandatory provisional suspension under UCI rules.
The steroid, originally developed for veterinary use under the trade name Equipoise, is known for its long detection window, remaining traceable in urine samples for up to five months after administration, according to anti-doping research.
Career trajectory
Gómez has raced as a general classification rider at ProTeam level. He finished sixth overall at both the Tour of Turkey in 2025 and sixth in the Tour of Rwanda in 2024, with a fourth-place finish at the Giro d'Italia Under-23 in 2023 among his palmares.
At the Colombian National Championships earlier in 2025, he placed sixth in the individual time trial and 12th in the road race.
Gómez will be ineligible to race while the provisional suspension is in place.
Under the World Anti-Doping Code, a first-time intentional violation involving an anabolic steroid typically carries a four-year period of ineligibility. If the rider's B sample analysis shows no presence, or he can demonstrate the use was not intentional, the sanction may be reduced to two years or less, depending on the degree of fault established.
Boldenone cases have historically involved disputes over the substance's origin. In some regions, the steroid is used legally in livestock, and athletes have previously argued that positive tests resulted from contaminated meat consumption. Anti-doping laboratories now use isotope ratio mass spectrometry to distinguish synthetic boldenone from naturally occurring traces, according to published research.
The UCI delegated operational activities of its anti-doping programme to the International Testing Agency (ITA) in January 2021, while retaining results management and prosecution of violations.
The out-of-competition control was carried out during the off-season training period as part of the ITA's year-round testing programme.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Team Polti VisitMalta addressed the suspension: "At Team Polti VisitMalta, we operate under a strict zero-tolerance policy towards doping.
"This principle is a non-negotiable foundation of our project and is clearly stipulated in all our contracts and in our Code of Conduct. In adherence to this policy and the UCI’s decision, we have also suspended the rider’s contract, and he will be excluded from all team activities pending the resolution of the proceedings."
Cover image credit: Simon Wilkinson/SWpix.com
