Deon Locke

[rgmerk]

Positive for phentermine at the Tour of Hainan.

It's apparently used clinically as an appetite suppressant, but it's a stimulant chemically related to amphetamine. Legal out of competition, but not in it. No report of a TUE, and I can't see how a professional cyclist could get one for an obesity drug.

Due process and all that, but unless there's a problem with the testing it's hard to see how he can possibly avoid the two-year holiday.

Seeing this is The Clinic, would anybody like to speculate? Using as a stimulant or for weight loss and got his timing wrong? And shouldn't weight loss drugs be banned out of competition for cyclists as well?

And, yes, he's an Aussie.

 

[JA.Tri]

Seems like a weid error to make. Maybe the intended masking agent didn't work as anticipated (or maybe he made an error with an autologous transfusion...).

 

[rgmerk]

Seems like a weid error to make. Maybe the intended masking agent didn't work as anticipated (or maybe he made an error with an autologous transfusion...).

I doubt a rider at that level would have access to the expertise and equipment required to organize an autologous transfusion.

My non-expert guess is either he was using it pre-competition for weight loss and underestimated the elimination time, or he was using it as a stimulant.

 

[JA.Tri]

sorry, the autologous transfusion was tongue in cheek (not that I would have been able to guess as to the probability of him being able to access that facility).

Regards John