The Cycling Podcast

For the past 10 months, Lizzy Banks has been fighting to clear her name after an anti-doping test taken in May 2023 returned an adverse analytical finding for two substances. She was informed of the test result 79 days later. The two substances were formoterol, a medication she'd been using within the permitted level to treat asthma. The second, chlortalidone, was a diuretic she had never heard of. Unless she could prove contamination the twice Giro stage winner faced a two-year suspension. Her investigation cost her career, her life savings and took a huge emotional toll on her and her family. When she could no longer afford full legal support, she investigated the case herself. Her medical training helped and the case she compiled led the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) to drop a scheduled tribunal and return a verdict of no fault, no negligence and no suspension. Nevertheless, the rules state she has four anti-doping rule violations against her name, her career as a pro cyclist is over, and her reputation