Cyclist Rafael Silva, winner of the 2023 Portuguese Cup, announced this Sunday his retirement at the age of 33 after the Portuguese anti-doping authority notified him of a “process of possible use of prohibited methods.”
Convinced that he will retire from cycling “with his head held high and with a clear conscience”, the winner of the 2012 Volta a Portugal do Futuro explains in a social media post that ADoP notified him “as part of the process of the possible use of prohibited methods” based on ” sample/analysis collected in 2015.”
“I responded to this notice with honesty, fighting for my innocence. I have never, at any stage of my athletic career, acted in a manner that would call into question the truth of the sport.” […] The agency’s decision is based on the opinion of a group of experts who, without providing certainty, concluded that prohibited methods were probably used,” he notes, referring to the biological passport.
Thus, while declaring that he is the target of a process “in which guilt appears to be assumed,” Rafael Silva has decided “not to criticize the decision” of the ADoP because, although he is aware of his “absolute innocence,” he is already 33 years old.
“I must say that I received from my sports director [José Azevedo] support and trust, which I really appreciate, giving me complete freedom of decision in this matter. I make decisions according to the rules that I have always imposed on my options: my decisions will never harm anyone. I was afraid that any choice other than finishing now could harm my team since the season had already started,” explains the former Efapel cyclist.
Professional since 2013, Rafael Silva spent most of his career in the previous Efapel squad (now Sabgal-Anicolor), playing for the last two seasons in Jose Azevedo’s team.
“Now I close the loop. I leave with sadness in my heart, but with a clear conscience and confidence that this is the decision I must make. Life goes on, now outside of competition, but always on the bike,” concludes now the former runner, who also won stages of the Grande Prémio Jornal Notícias, GP O Jogo and Volta a Albergaria (2019), among others.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.