Oier Lazkano

[Sciatic]

I think measuring various blood parameters will (can?) detect use of rEPO. Once again, here are the markers tracked under the Haematological Module:

1. ABPS - Abnormal Blood Profile Score
2. HCT - Haematocrit
3. HGB - Haemoglobin
4. IRF - Immature reticulocyte fraction
5. MCH - Mean corpuscular haemoglobin
6. MCHC - Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration
7. MCV - Mean corpuscular volume
8. OFFS - OFF-hr Score
9. PLT - Platelets
10. RBC - Red blood cell (erythrocyte) count
11. RDW-SD - Red cell distribution width (standard deviation)
12. RET# - Reticulocyte count
13. RET% - Reticulocytes percentage
14. WBC - White Blood Cells

https://www.wada-ama.org/en/resources/world-anti-doping-program/athlete-biological-passport-abp-operating-guidelines

Pretty sure presence of rEPO would show up in a number of these markers.

Most will be not be deemed confirmation of EPO if a rider has just returned from altitude.

 

[proffate]

Most will be not be deemed confirmation of EPO if a rider has just returned from altitude.

This is kind of a vague statement. All we need is one or two of them to be inconsistent with altitude. I don't know enough about the details to comment, my only point is that ABP seems to be more sensitive than the "adverse analytical finding" tests, so at what point does it make sense to redirect funding from AAF testing to more comprehensive/frequent ABP testing?

 

[Cookster15]

The issue is if dopers have moved on to substances or methods of doping that are hard for conventional tests to pick up on. My understanding is micro-dosing EPO would be one example of this. We don't know exactly what Lazkano was doing, but presumably it was something along these lines that wouldn't be detectable in and of itself, but would lead to elevated blood values and trigger an investigation via the biological passport.

This too is my understanding. But I also don't understand how micro-dosing EPO helps if they are monitoring all of the 14 markers closely? Micro-dosing EPO will give a more even score over time. But it still results in elevated hemoglobin.

Oxygen is transported to the muscles via the bloodstream in hemoglobin. If the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood isn't boosted there is no performance benefit.

Suddenly elevated immature reticulocyte fraction also suggests autologous blood transfusion.

And synthetic EPO (rEPO) still elevates the total hemoglobin.

Maybe the software used is limited. It doesn't red-light even if doping must be occurring (false negatives). I think I've read that somewhere here before?

 

[Cookster15]

Most will be not be deemed confirmation of EPO if a rider has just returned from altitude.

Most but not all.

 

[Sciatic]

L

This is kind of a vague statement. All we need is one or two of them to be inconsistent with altitude. I don't know enough about the details to comment, my only point is that ABP seems to be more sensitive than the "adverse analytical finding" tests, so at what point does it make sense to redirect funding from AAF testing to more comprehensive/frequent ABP testing?

I've always thought the Off-score and retics would be likely to show blood manipulation. i don't know how they get away with those. However all of the other blood values are likely to change in a similar fashion whether it's from altitude or EPO. So my assumption is that altitude training and EPO use could not be easily distinguished.
All of these can changes due to increased red blood cell production:

1. HCT - Haematocrit
2. HGB - Haemoglobin (1 and 2 are redundant anyways since they will change at same rate))
3. RBC - Red blood cell (erythrocyte) count
4. RDW-SD - Red cell distribution width (standard deviation)

These, I believe, are unlikely to change, whether from altitude or EPO, since they measure the health (in oxygen carrying capacity) of blood cells. Altitude and EPO increase the production of RBCs, not the quality of the blood cells produced:

1. MCH - Mean corpuscular haemoglobin
2. MCHC - Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration
3. MCV - Mean corpuscular volume

And these other 2 are a standard part of every CBC but not going to be relevant to the boost in red blood cell production:

1. PLT - Platelets
2. BC - White Blood Cells

That would seem to leave the off-score and retics as difficult to fool the ABP? But I don't know much about those two.

 

[proffate]

I've always thought the Off-score and retics would be likely to show blood manipulation. i don't know how they get away with those. However all of the other blood values are likely to change in a similar fashion whether it's from altitude or EPO. So my assumption is that altitude training and EPO use could not be easily distinguished.
All of these can changes due to increased red blood cell production:

1. HCT - Haematocrit
2. HGB - Haemoglobin (1 and 2 are redundant anyways since they will change at same rate))
3. RBC - Red blood cell (erythrocyte) count
4. RDW-SD - Red cell distribution width (standard deviation)

These, I believe, are unlikely to change, whether from altitude or EPO, since they measure the health (in oxygen carrying capacity) of blood cells. Altitude and EPO increase the production of RBCs, not the quality of the blood cells produced:

1. MCH - Mean corpuscular haemoglobin
2. MCHC - Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration
3. MCV - Mean corpuscular volume

And these other 2 are a standard part of every CBC but not going to be relevant to the boost in red blood cell production:

1. PLT - Platelets
2. BC - White Blood Cells

That would seem to leave the off-score and retics as difficult to fool the ABP? But I don't know much about those two.

Very specific statement, thanks!

I would compel riders to provide documentation of their time at altitude (or in a tent). The whereabouts system is already in place for real altitude. Heck I don't think any fan would complain if you just banned tents, so while that may not theoretically stop people from using them, they'd no longer be accepted as an excuse for funky ABP.

 

[HashRouge]

Different tests --- for the presence of rEPO vs measuring various blood parameters.

Seems like you've slightly contradicted yourself here. It hasn't deterred EPO use, only EPO megadosing. Would the EPO megadose not be something that was immediately picked up by the ABP anyway?

Bear in mind that testing for exogenous substances is expensive in both development and application. The money saved by skipping direct testing would theoretically be reallocated to something more effective, such as ABP, i.e. more ABP testing.

But they aren't just testing for EPO though. What about substances that don't affect your blood values, or only stay in your system for a short period of time? The sort of substances that you might use for an in-competition boost rather than during training.

Really I don't know enough about it though, it just sort of made sense in my head that you would do both.

 

[Sciatic]

But they aren't just testing for EPO though. What about substances that don't affect your blood values, or only stay in your system for a short period of time? The sort of substances that you might use for an in-competition boost rather than during training.

Really I don't know enough about it though, it just sort of made sense in my head that you would do both.

It is possible it has deterred EPO use--perhaps it prompted folks to go back to blood bags, which only the ABP could reveal? I don't know.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Apparent correction that the anomalous results are all from 2024

That Movistar statement is also nonsense, that they only became aware of what was happening on 30/10, despite random people on the internet knowing for months.

Dopaje Oier Lazkano: Sus cuatro anomalías, en 2024 - Ciclo21

Información de las infracciones de dopaje del vasco durante su etapa en Movistar

www.ciclo21.com

Translation warning

Oier Lazkano 's current situation must be difficult. The Basque rider, dismissed from the German Red Bull team , remains suspended for violating anti-doping rules of the International Cycling Union (UCI) and/or the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). His Italian lawyer—along with his agent, Giuseppe Acquadro —has a stack of documents to try to prove his client's innocence before these organizations, as he is currently considered guilty because, unlike other crimes, the burden of proof in doping cases is reversed.


The good news for Lazkano—if there is any in this latest case of sporting irregularities—is that, as this publication has confirmed, the four anomalies detected in his biological passport occurred during 2024 , his last year with the Spanish team Movistar . When the news broke, the team claimed to know nothing about their rider's physiological values during the three seasons he spent under Eusebio Unzué , who declined to comment to Ciclo 21. This means that in 2022 and 2023 — he was with Caja Rural in 2021— the Basque cyclist's health was perfectly adequate for professional competitive cycling, subject to the Adams passport regulations, including constant location tracking, mandatory doping controls both in and out of competition, and ongoing monitoring of his vital signs.

Thus, the rider from Vitoria-Gasteiz—who turned 26 on November 7th— retains his 2022 Tour de Wallonie stage win and his 2023 Spanish National Championship title (where Ayuso took silver), as well as his stage and overall victory at the Boucles de la Mayenne and the Burgos stage win. He does, however, lose the 2024 Clásica de Jaén —his last victory—which would be awarded to Frenchman Bastien Tronchon if he is ultimately sanctioned. In 2024, he finished 3rd in Kuurne-sur-Mer, had a modest showing in the cobbled classics, 9th in the Critérium du Dauphiné, was runner-up in the Spanish National Championship, distinguished himself as a domestique in the Tour de France—the last Spaniard to cross the Tourmalet first — participated in two Olympic Games in Paris , and had a less prominent role in the Vuelta a España, his last Grand Tour.

Failed control and four anomalies in one year

After two "clean" seasons, alarm bells rang for the ITA —the independent agency that carries out anti-doping work for the UCI—in 2024. First, with a failed test because, according to Lazkano, he was traveling to Extremadura to meet with his alleged coach, and then with four abnormal values in his physiological data. The first instance is always an initial warning that puts ITA officials on alert and always carries logical precautions. A training camp or residence at altitude— Lazkano lives in Andorra to pay less tax than in Spain —and the subsequent descent to a race or other lower location can skew the results. But with the second and subsequent instances, the machinery is set in motion. Surveillance and control are increased, and the data is shared with three independent experts who do not communicate with each other. And the trio concluded that the four anomalies—with almost identical indices—could be caused by the use of prohibited methods such as transfusions or illegal products like erythropoietin (EPO), growth hormone, or, for example, anabolic steroids. This is something Lazkano should admit if he wants to mitigate his highly likely four-year ban.


Following internal analyses, the conclusions were reached in 2025 when Lazkano was already with Ralph Denk's powerful German Red Bull team, led by Roglic and Lipowitz, signed for €1.5 million for each of the three seasons he signed. Patxi Vila , with whom Lazkano also worked at Movistar, was already and still is the team's sporting director. Vila has always maintained that he knows nothing and cannot say anything to any media outlet, including Ciclo 21. According to Red Bull, they also knew nothing (sic) about the contents of Lazkano's passport, which he is not obligated to hand over, but which is always done internally when a cyclist moves from one team to another. The rider cannot access this information in real time—to prevent cheating with the data—but he can request a report, which is the type of report that first and second division teams usually receive.

So Lazkano began 2025 happy with his new colors, aiming to be a key support rider in the spring classics and Grand Tours for his team leaders. But after Paris-Roubaix—where he finished 127th and last — his life took a virtually irreversible turn. The rider received official notification that his passport was far from legal, thus opening his appeal period. Agents from the Italian Anti-Doping Agency (ITA) and the Andorran police visited his home to seize his mobile phone and computers, searching for information about his possible doping, suppliers, and administrators. This is what law enforcement pursues, in addition to the sporting sanctions that are pursued through other channels. Initially, they found nothing, but they did gain insight into his inner circle, allowing them to continue the investigation. Lazkano, through his legal team, tried to explain the abnormal values, but was unable to do so.

And after months of absolute silence on his part, amidst various speculations about his condition and that of his then-team, came the official UCI statement announcing his provisional license suspension. This document led to the termination of his lucrative contract, his statement proclaiming his innocence and honesty , and now his legal process to somehow prove that the consensus of three experts was a mistake. An almost impossible end to a process that was supposed to be quite fair and has barely altered the initial verdict of suspension. The now-retired Galician rider Delio Fernández, the other Spaniard awaiting the UCI's decision, finds himself in the same situation .






November 2

STATEMENT FROM OIER LAZKANO

"On October 30, 2025, I received an official communication from the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). I want to make one thing absolutely clear: I have never used doping substances or prohibited methods . I have always respected the rules of cycling and the fundamental values of clean sport. My career, built with effort and dedication, is based on honesty, integrity, and daily work. I am a clean athlete and a person of integrity. I will defend my reputation and do everything necessary to prove my complete innocence and my total lack of involvement in any illicit conduct. I have instructed my medico-legal team to take all necessary actions to protect my rights and demonstrate my integrity, with full respect for the established procedures. I trust in the truth and in sporting justice. I thank those who support me at this time and will continue, with determination and transparency, to defend my name and my professional dignity."



October 31

Movistar Team Statement

Yesterday afternoon , October 30, 2025, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) sent an email to Abarca Sports with the following text. We have extracted the communication verbatim for your clarity:

"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) informs you that the UCI asserts that the Spanish cyclist, Mr. Oier Lazkano López, has committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the Use of a Prohibited Substance and/or Prohibited Method under Article 2.2 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules (UCI ADR). The assertion is based on the unanimous opinion issued by a panel of three independent scientific experts (Expert Panel) on 23 October 2025, according to which the hematological profile, composed of samples provided by the rider between 7 January 2020 and 30 December 2024, establishes that: ' It is highly probable that a prohibited substance or prohibited method was used and that the passport violation is unlikely to be the result of any other cause .'"


"The Panel of Experts reached its conclusion after reviewing the Cyclist's Athlete Biological Passport (ABP), as well as the explanation and supporting documentation provided by the Cyclist. Please note that this notice is being sent to you because Mr. Lazkano López was employed by your team at the time of the relevant offenses identified in his ABP (i.e., 2022, 2023, and 2024)."

"At this stage and until this notification, the UCI was required to keep the matter confidential beyond the scope of anti-doping organizations, in accordance with applicable regulations. After reviewing the rider's explanation and supporting documentation, the Expert Panel issued a unanimous opinion confirming its previous assessment . The rider was informed by letter today that the ADRV is enforced in accordance with the UCI ADR."

In view of the above, Abarca Sports wishes to state the following:

• Firstly, it was not until the afternoon of October 30, 2025 that he became aware of this situation .
• Secondly, during the three seasons of Mr. Lazkano's contractual relationship (out of the five covered by the UCI study), all the tests he underwent by various national and international bodies, as well as internal team tests, yielded negative results . Therefore, it was virtually impossible to know, or even suspect, any irregularity such as the one now presented in the proceedings initiated by the International Cycling Union.
• And thirdly, and most importantly, Abarca Sports reiterates once again its unwavering commitment to clean and transparent sport . To this end, we will redouble with absolute determination all the efforts, controls, and measures we have been implementing to date.

October 30

Oier Lazkano has been provisionally suspended by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in accordance with the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, due to unexplained anomalies in his Athlete Biological Passport for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024. The cyclist from Vitoria-Gasteiz competed for Movistar Team during those seasons and had signed with Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe for 2025. However, after a rather discreet start to the season, he did not compete again after Paris-Roubaix in April . After months of uncertainty surrounding the rider's situation, the reasons for his absence from competition have finally come to light

According to information obtained by Ciclo 21, the International Testing Agency (ITA) had been monitoring the rider for several months. Lazkano now faces a possible four-year ban from competition, an extension of the punishment imposed on other riders for similar offenses. The UCI's verdict is expected in the coming months. This case comes just two days after Vinicius Rangel was sanctioned for whereabouts violations related to the ADAMS program, which could result in a sanction for the Movistar team. Typically, two such cases in the same year result in a 20-day suspension for the team .

A few hours after the news broke, the Red Bull-Bora-hansgrohe team announced to the media the cyclist's dismissal : "We confirm that Oier Lazkano will no longer be part of our team . This is due to the UCI's decision to provisionally suspend him. The matter pertains to the 2022-2024 seasons, a period prior to his joining our team." Meanwhile, Movistar Team, his team at the time, expressed surprise in an initial reaction from its communications department: "Following the statement issued by the UCI regarding rider Oier Lazkano, which we all learned of today , the news has surprised us , and at the moment, given the circumstances, we have no further information."


The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is an individual electronic record for each cyclist , in which the results of all anti-doping controls carried out under the ABP program during a given period are compiled. The International Control Agency (ICA), the independent body to which the UCI delegated its anti-doping program, while retaining responsibility for managing the results and prosecuting anti-doping rule violations, manages the ABP program in collaboration with the Athlete Passport Management Unit (AHU) in Lausanne, Switzerland (the Lausanne AHU is associated with the Lausanne Laboratory, accredited by the World Anti-Doping Agency). Cases related to the Athlete Biological Passport are adjudicated based on the opinion of an independent Expert Panel of the AHU.

LIST OF SUSPENDED AND SANCTIONED INDIVIDUALS

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

So his totally out of the blue second place in the 2023 Dwars, and that set of spring/early summer results, which would be the bright neon arrows for those given to considering any unexpectedly good performance to be suspicious, are now regarded as above board, and his less impressive 2024 results are the effect of doping: I won't have what he's having.

 

[pastronef]

Apparent correction that the anomalous results are all from 2024

That Movistar statement is also nonsense, that they only became aware of what was happening on 30/10, despite random people on the internet knowing for months.

knowing or -guessing-?
one thing is an official UCI/WADA info
the other is voices/hints/rumors etc

 

[Rob5091]

After two "clean" seasons, alarm bells rang for the ITA —the independent agency that carries out anti-doping work for the UCI—in 2024. First, with a failed test because, according to Lazkano, he was traveling to Extremadura to meet with his alleged coach, and then with four abnormal values in his physiological data

Is not the well known Dr Marcos Maynar at the University of Extremadura? He of the "Operación Ilex/ Superman Lopez" fame.