Endura: UCI rejected team's approach to pay for bio passport testing for Jonathan Tiernan-Locke

Endura, the Scotland-based cycling clothing firm, says that it offered to pay to have former Endura Racing rider Jonathan Tiernan-Locke on the UCI’s biological passport programme last year when it became clear he was heading to a WorldTour team, but world cycling’s governing body rejected its request. The rider, now with Team Sky, has been asked by the UCI to explain irregularities in his blood values.

Team Sky principal Sir Dave Brailsford and Tiernan-Locke’s former manager at Endura Racing, Brian Smith, have both cautioned that the cyclist has a right to provide an explanation and should not be prejudged.

They emphasised that shifts in blood values could be explained by factors other than doping. In its statement today, in which it refers to the rider as 'JTL,' Endura highlighted that poor health or being fatigued could be among those factors.

It said: “At this early stage, without detailed information, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the reasons for inconsistencies in JTL’s biological passport data although it is known that there are many possible legitimate causes including fatigue and ill-health both of which we understand JTL has suffered from in the last year.

“A process, that ought to have remained confidential, is underway and we obviously hope that JTL is able to provide information that is acceptable to the UCI for their enquiry in order for him to clear his name.”

The period in question comprises the final four months of 2012, when Tiernan-Locke was still riding for Endura Racing, although in its statement released today Endura, which held the UCI Continental team’s licence, says that he had already been tested by Garmin-Sharp as well as attending a training camp with Team Sky by that point.

Endura’s statement underlines that the Endura Racing “team owners and management have always been explicit and vociferous in condemnation of their use and although limited in its resources as a UCI Continental licensed team, Endura Racing previously made attempts to arrange for additional spontaneous testing for its riders through UKAD.

“Unfortunately this request was rejected however Endura Racing’s willingness to fund additional testing to expose its riders to a more prolific test regime than the mandatory requirements is clear evidence of Endura’s position on the matter.”

It adds that “Endura, with the full support of JTL, also made a request to the UCI to be allowed to pay to have him put on a biological passport in order to counter the rumours of PEDs that circulated after his wins in Tour Méditerranéen and Tour du Haut Var in early season racing during 2012 however this request was refused by the UCI.”

The 28-year-old rider from Devon joined Team Sky at the end of the 2012 season, but has failed to replicate the form that brought him to the attention of WorldTour teams at the start of the year with those two early-season victories in France.

After recovering from a collarbone fracture sustained at the Lincoln Grand Prix in May, he went on to win the overall at the Tour of Britain in September 2012. A year earlier, riding for Rapha Condor Sharp, he had won the mountains competition in the national tour.

The Sunday Times, which first reported the story at the weekend, has said that while the late 2012 values were not in themselves deemed irregular, they are once compared to those from samples taken since he joined Team Sky.

It is also believed that the rider, who spent three years out of the sport in his early twenties as he battled against a virus and glandular fever, has had problems stepping up to the demands of Team Sky’s training regime.

Here is the full statement from Endura issued this morning:

Livingston, Scotland, October 1st 2013 – In response to The Sunday Times article published on Sunday 29th September, Endura Ltd, owners of Endura Racing Professional Cycle Team during 2012 when Jonathan Tiernan-Locke (JTL) was riding for the Team, make the following statement:

At this early stage, without detailed information, it would be inappropriate to speculate on the reasons for inconsistencies in JTL’s biological passport data although it is known that there are many possible legitimate causes including fatigue and ill-health both of which we understand JTL has suffered from in the last year.

A process, that ought to have remained confidential, is underway and we obviously hope that JTL is able to provide information that is acceptable to the UCI for their enquiry in order for him to clear his name.

As regards Endura Racing’s team culture relating to PEDs, the team owners and management have always been explicit and vociferous in condemnation of their use and although limited in its resources as a UCI Continental licensed team, Endura Racing previously made attempts to arrange for additional spontaneous testing for its riders through UKAD. Unfortunately this request was rejected however Endura Racing’s willingness to fund additional testing to expose its riders to a more prolific test regime than the mandatory requirements is clear evidence of Endura’s position on the matter.

Endura, with the full support of JTL, also made a request to the UCI to be allowed to pay to have him put on a biological passport in order to counter the rumours of PEDs that circulated after his wins in Tour Méditerranéen and Tour du Haut Var in early season racing during 2012 however this request was refused by the UCI.

Endura Racing’s culture has always been entirely at odds with cheating in any form including the use of PEDs and nothing in JTL’s conduct during his 2012 season with the Team gave rise to concerns that his approach was at odds with this in any way.

JTL joined Endura Racing in January 2012 and, when it became clear he had WordTour potential, was made available to Team Garmin-Sharp in April for physiological tests. No adverse results were reported back.

He then accompanied Team Sky on their Tenerife training camp in May. Team Sky had full access to JTL from the point it was agreed for him to train with them at this camp. This includes the period covering the last quarter of 2012. According to JTL, he undertook physiological tests for Team Sky directly after the World Championships in 2012 and although Endura never received any data from these tests, neither was anything raised by Team Sky as unusual or concerning.

JTL chose Endura Racing in 2012 in the full knowledge that the Team was committed to ensuring that its riders were all clean and that it had made efforts to provide additional scrutiny of its riders through UKAD.  In April 2012, when presented with expressions of interest for many WorldTour teams, JTL chose to narrow his options to Team Garmin-Sharp and Team Sky, both of which have well documented zero tolerance positions on doping.

Endura will make no further comments on the matter until the process is complete.