American Cyclist Named in Doping Case That Suspends Another Team

An American rider is among three cyclists at the center of cycling’s latest doping case in another suspension of an entire racing team.

Earlier this week, the Colombian continental team Medellín-EPM was also suspended for 30 days.

The ITA confirmed Portuguese continental team Feirense Beeceler will be barred from racing for 22 days, from March 22 to April 12, after anti-doping authorities cited three riders for irregularities in their biological passports.

The case centers on blood profile abnormalities involving American rider Barry Miller, and Portuguese racers Venceslau Fernandes and Antonio Carvalho.

Officials said that Miller was notified in September 2025 after a review panel flagged irregular passport data connected to samples dating back to February 2023.

Miller, 37, competed across a range of minor U.S. and European teams, including Lupus Racing Team, FireFighters Upsala CK, and BAIC-Sicasal-Petro de Luanda in Portugal.

Also read: Teams Are Signing Riders Without Checking Their Biological Passport Data — Lazkano Case Shows Why That’s Risky

He previously served a one-year ban after testing positive for an anabolic substance at the 2017 Tour of Somerville, a sanction reduced from a possible four-year ban after USADA investigators determined the result came from a contaminated supplement.

Miller raced for Feirense Beeceler only during the 2023 season, but is connected to the latest biological passport case, the ITA reported this week. He has not raced since 2024.

Fernandes was first notified in November 2024 after irregularities were detected in samples dating back to July 2022, the ITA said.

Portuguese anti-doping authorities later imposed a six-year ban on Fernandes — the son of a former Volta a Portugal winner — running through November 2030.

Carvalho, a winner of three stages at the Volta a Portugal, was notified by the UCI in November 2025 after abnormalities were identified in passport values tied to samples from 2018, 2023, and 2024.

The 35-year-old received a four-year suspension through November 2029.

Biological passport back in the headlines

The suspension is being handled by the International Testing Agency (ITA), which took over the UCI’s anti-doping program and enforcement in 2026.

The latest case comes amid what looks to be a wider enforcement push involving the biological passport, a sometimes controversial enforcement tool.

The biological passport system — introduced more than a decade ago — tracks blood markers to detect suspicious variations that may indicate the use of banned substances or blood doping.

An “Adverse Passport Finding” is handed down after a panel of experts determines that doping is the most likely explanation for the abnormal results.

Under UCI anti-doping rules, teams can face suspension when two or more riders or staffers are implicated in violations within 12 months.

In this case, however, two of the riders linked to the investigation — Miller and Fernandes — competed for the squad long before the current roster, hinting that officials were back-testing earlier samples.

Velo has reached out to the ITA for comment.

Feirense Beeceler races at cycling’s third-tier continental level and recently raced at the Volta ao Algarve. The team traces its roots to Portuguese squads that competed in the 1980s and 1990s before a return in 2018.

Also read: Portuguese Team Suspended 20 Days After Double Blood Passport Violations

Earlier this week, the Colombian squad Medellín-EPM was also suspended for 30 days.

ITA officials said Aldemar Reyes Ortega and veteran Fabio Duarte were linked to biological passport irregularities tied to samples between 2023 and 2025. Neither rider has raced for the team since the 2024 season.

The disciplinary ruling can still be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, officials said.