International Testing Agency provisionally suspends para-cyclist Peyroton-Dartet
The agency says his 5 September 2026 sample from the world championships in Huntsville, Alabama, tested positive for EPO. He won the C3 road-race world title on 7 September and cannot compete while the case proceeds.
In this article
The International Testing Agency (ITA) says it has provisionally suspended French para-cyclist Thomas Peyroton-Dartet following a positive test for erythropoietin (EPO). The suspension prevents him from competing while the anti-doping case proceeds. The agency announced the suspension on 29 October 2026, Velo said the following day.
The ITA says it collected the sample during competition on 5 September 2026 at the Para-cycling Road World Championships in Huntsville, Alabama. Peyroton-Dartet won the C3 road-race world title on 7 September, two days later.
No final sanction has been announced, and the eventual status of his world title remains unresolved. The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) explains that a provisional suspension takes effect before a final decision.
The rider and the EPO finding
Peyroton-Dartet competes in C3, a classification that includes cyclists with moderate limb or neurological impairments. At the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, he won C3 time-trial gold and C1–3 road-race silver.
EPO increases red blood cell production, delivering more oxygen to muscles and improving endurance, the ITA says. The World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list bans it both in and out of competition. The ITA classifies EPO as a “non-specified” substance, a category for which the applicable anti-doping rules require a provisional suspension.
The next steps in the case
The ITA runs the independent anti-doping program delegated by the UCI and says it is handling the prosecution of this case entirely. Peyroton-Dartet has the right to request analysis of his B-sample, the second sample used to check the initial result. He can also present an explanation and challenge the provisional suspension by asking for it to be lifted.
The ITA says the case will proceed as a confirmed anti-doping rule violation if the B-sample confirms the initial result or if Peyroton-Dartet does not request B-sample analysis. He will then have the opportunity to explain the finding.
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Sources
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- VeloFrench Para-Cyclist Suspended in EPO Doping Case at Worlds
- ita.sportThe ITA notifies rider Thomas Peyroton-Dartet of an apparent anti-doping rule violation - International Testing Agency
- uci.orgClarifications from the UCI concerning anti-doping proceedings | UCI
- escapecollective.comParalympic gold medalist Thomas Peyroton-Dartet suspended after EPO positive
- en.wikipedia.orgC3 (classification)