Olivia Ray removed from Human Powered Health roster
Update: The team declines to comment but Ray's Instagram account has responded to the story.
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Recently-crowned New Zealand national champion Olivia Ray has been removed from the roster of Women’s WorldTeam, Human Powered Health.
Ray’s name no longer appears on the team’s roster page on their website, and her individual profile page has also been taken down. Ray has also been removed from the UCI’s list of riders registered to Human Powered Health, after appearing as recently as the morning of March 10.
The team declined to make an official comment when contacted by VeloNews.
Since joining the then-Rally Cycling outfit in 2021, Ray has only raced with the team twice at UCI level – the Setmana Ciclista Valenciana last May, and the Joe Martin Stage Race in August – though she raced a number of criteriums in the US, winning several.
- Rally’s Olivia Ray, L39ion’s Justin Williams win inaugural Into The Lion’s Den criterium
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Of the team’s 12-rider roster, Ray is one of only three riders who were retained from the 2021 lineup.
Ray’s only race so far in 2022 is the New Zealand national championship road race in February, which she won.
Ray made headlines in December of 2021 after revealing that she had not yet received the $15,000 in prize money for winning the Into The Lion’s Den Criterium, organized by L39ION of Los Angeles. Ray later apologized for her comments.
The New Zealand rider has also been vocal on the topics of mental health and body image in cycling.
Ray has been inactive on social media since making her apology to L39ION in December, and it appears she has also recently deleted her Strava and Instagram profiles.
Ray was absent from the team’s January training camp in Portugal and is yet to make her European season debut.
Update: On Saturday morning a post appeared on Ray’s Instagram page. She did not directly respond to the fact that she had been removed from the Human Powered Health roster but the message posted did reference a story posted on CyclingTips. The publication posted a long article that detailed allegations of abuse and doping products, as well as a report that USADA had launched an investigation. VeloNews had contacted the anti-doping body on Friday but no confirmation was issued.
The allegations and the background around Ray are serious and incredibly sensitive at this point given her immediate welfare. Her response on social media is below. VeloNews has reached out to Ray for comment.
“The truth about my situation will come out eventually, but I will do so on my timeline and not in response to stories planted by people who care nothing about me or my loved ones and know nothing about what I’m going through.”
“My story will come out when I tell it, and you will see that it is very different from the story that is currently being spread by people who care nothing about my welfare.”