May 14, 2014 (Montreal, QC)  –  The Quebec Cycling Federation ( FQSC)  has learned that cyclist Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette was given a 10-month suspension from the International Cycling Union (ICU) for having committed a doping offense. This offense is failing to request an exemption for the use of a prohibited substance for therapeutic purposes. The offense occurred in the context of the World Cup Mountain Bike at Mont Ste-Anne, August 10, 2013 and the suspension will end June 9, 2014. All results obtained after the date of August 10, 2013 are canceled in order to be in compliance with the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES).

“I never had the intention to improve my performance when using this product. I have an asthmatic condition and I have a prescription for this pump for years. My family doctor was not aware that the pump required for an exemption. I want to say that there are resources for those who doubt that their medication is allowed to compete. In case of doubt, consult the website of the CCES. Be careful about what you eat in the context of competitions but also outside competitions. With some perspective, I would like my case serve as an example that this kind of situation does not happen again,“ said Mathieu Bélanger-Barrette.

FQSC reiterates its firm position with regard to the use of banned substances in the practice of cycling sports. The “Roulez gagnants au naturel” (Ride to win without Doping) program is part of this approach to educate our members and to prevent any form of doping. As mentioned by many of our elite athletes, we remain convinced that it is possible to perform without the use of banned substances. We invite you to read these stories by watching the following video we produced for this purpose:

Note: prominent Quebec cyclists including Gaby Malenfant (BMX), Joelle Numainville (road), Raphael Gagné (MB), Remi Pelletier-Roy (track), and Chantal Petitclerc (paracycling) all speak against doping in a video (French) posted here.