LONDON, UK - Mark Cavendish has confirmed that he missed a routine out of competition drugs test last year. But the missed test came because he was filming with the BBC and had failed to warn testers in advance that he would not be at his training base in Florence, Italy.
The missed random test was meant to take place on April 27, 2011 ahead of the Giro d'Italia when Cavendish was filming on Mount Etna.UCI and WADA testers were not able to administer their tests, meaning he has picked up an official warning. Three missed tests in an 18 month period can lead to a cyclist being banned for a year, as has just happened to French rider Gregory Bauge, who lost his title of world sprint champion to Britain's Jason Kenny when he picked up a retrospective ban.
Cavendish has confirmed he was at fault, saying: "I missed an out of competition test last April. It was my mistake. I was with a film crew for the BBC and Giro d'Italia on Mount Etna. It was a simple, genuine administrative error. Of course I totally understand the importance of testing in sport. I was tested by the UCI a couple of weeks before that and twice in the fortnight after, and had around 60 tests in all last year. It's part of the job and it's my job to make sure I don't miss another."
Cavendish used Twitter to retweet an article saying that the real crime was that the news of the missed dope test was leaked to the Italian media, suggesting that the World Champion is not happy about the news coming out.
David Brailsford, the Performance Director at GB cycling, said: "There is absolutely no doubt about Mark's integrity. I am totally satisfied that he made a genuine mistake. He is tested regularly and is a powerful advocate for testing and ensuring that sport is clean."
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