Ukad admits concern over athlete welfare after Lizzy Banks reveals 10-month doping case left ‘deep scars’

A 10-month ordeal ended with Banks being found at ‘no fault or negligence’ but she has decided to retire from cycling

Lizzy Banks has retired from cycling after her doping ordeal (Bradley Collyer/PA Wire)

UK Anti-Doping has admitted it is concerned and will review its support to athletes, after cycling Lizzy Banks revealed her life had been “torn apart for nothing” by a 10-month case which concluded she was at “no fault or negligence” for a positive doping test.

The 33-year-old, who has ridden for Great Britain at the World Championships and was competing for WorldTour team EF Education-Tibco-SVB when she was notified of the result last July, has published a lengthy blog post about an ordeal which she says has cost her around £40,000.

Last month, UK Anti-Doping found that Banks held “no fault or negligence” for traces of chlortalidone and formoterol – a decision Banks called a “landmark case” as it was the first such ruling in a case where the athlete did not specifically identify the exact source of contamination.

Although her suspension will now be lifted, Banks – who trained as a doctor before turning professional as a cyclist – has said she will not return to the sport after the huge mental toll the case has taken on her.

“This process has cost me a huge amount, literally and metaphorically. My husband and I spent every penny of our savings and the huge mental toll has left deep scars,” Banks wrote.

“Prior to being completely cleared of any wrongdoing, I was repeatedly told by UKAD and lawyers that I would receive a two-year ban. This simply didn’t make sense.

“No party thought I had ‘consumed’ chlortalidone with any intent, yet that’s how the system works and my life continued to be torn apart for nothing. It is difficult to emphasise enough how significant UKAD’s finding is that I bore ‘no fault or negligence’.

“To put it in black and white, I understand that this is the first time that UKAD has ever issued a finding of ‘no fault or negligence’ (and therefore zero sanction) when the athlete has not specifically identified the exact source of the contamination.”

Lizzy Banks was Queen of the Mountain after stage one of the 2019 Tour de Yorkshire (PA)

In a statement, UK Anti-Doping said: “Following concerning reports in the media and comments made by professional cyclist Ms Elizabeth Banks on Tuesday 21 May 2024, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirms that Ms Banks has committed anti-doping rule violations (ADRVs) and that the applicable period of ineligibility has been eliminated on the basis that Ms Banks bore no fault or negligence for those ADRVs.

“UKAD also notes Ms Banks’ comments with concern and will be looking into what it can do to better support athletes going through anti-doping rule violation proceedings.”

Banks said she had made her mind up before the resolution of the case that she would end her career.

“I knew already that professional cycling was over for me,” she said. “Even if I wanted to go back, I didn’t think I ever could because of how damaging this has been and the way it has destroyed my husband and me.

“I could not risk putting us both through anything like this again.”

Reporting by PA