O’Bee handed one-year suspension by USADA
On Thursday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced in a brief release that Navigators rider Kirk O’Bee tested positive for an elevated testosterone-epitestosterone (T-E) ratio at last year’s USPRO Championship in Philadelphia, and will be suspended for one year, the maximum suspension in accordance with UCI rules. The suspension comes after a long process of follow-up testing, standard procedure in a T-E case, in which it is difficult to prove that the elevated levels did not occur naturally in the athlete. When contacted by VeloNews, Navigators team director said he believed O’Bee’s
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By VeloNews Interactive
On Thursday, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced in a brief release that Navigators rider Kirk O’Bee tested positive for an elevated testosterone-epitestosterone (T-E) ratio at last year’s USPRO Championship in Philadelphia, and will be suspended for one year, the maximum suspension in accordance with UCI rules.
The suspension comes after a long process of follow-up testing, standard procedure in a T-E case, in which it is difficult to prove that the elevated levels did not occur naturally in the athlete.
When contacted by VeloNews, Navigators team director said he believed O’Bee’s natural physiology was to blame.
“At Philly last year, Kirk had a random test, and the result showed a high T-E ratio, which can be caused by any number of things, and is not in itself an indication of any performance-enhancing behavior,” said Beamon. “He has had a history of erratic testosterone levels — it doesn’t just run on a flat plane.
“I personally believe this is a case where his endocrine system is the guilty party,” Beamon added.