“A few hours after my mum had passed away, I had to undergo a doping control at home, in the room next to where she lay.”: Valentina Cavallar exposes the limits of the system

The Austrian cyclist from SD Worx-Protime has recounted one of the most painful episodes of her life. Just a few hours after losing her mother, she had to undergo a doping control in her own home, while her mother's body remained in the adjacent room.

"I was a daughter who had just lost her mum"

The Austrian, who before dedicating herself to cycling competed in the Tokyo Olympic Games as a rower, was completing her first season with SD Worx-Protime. She had finished ninth in the overall standings of the Giro d'Italia Femminile and twelfth in La Vuelta Femenina, establishing herself as one of the team's climbers.

Valentina Cavallar, 25 years old, has decided to make public the personal situation that led her to end her season early. The Austrian cyclist lost her mother last September, but what has caused particular outrage is her account of a doping control conducted just hours after the death.

The SD Worx-Protime rider explained what happened through a post on Instagram, in which she questions the lack of sensitivity with which, according to her testimony, a particularly delicate family situation was managed.

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Cavallar had not competed since the Women's Tour de France, whose final stage she did not participate in. Until now, she had not publicly explained the reasons for her absence, but she has decided to break her silence to share an experience she considers important to make known.

The cyclist acknowledges that her mother's death has profoundly changed her way of understanding life and professional sport. However, the hardest moment of her account comes when she describes what happened just hours after the death.

"A few hours after my mum had passed away, I had to undergo a doping control at home, in the room next to where she lay.", she explains.

The Austrian insists that she has never questioned the need to pursue doping and that she has always taken her responsibilities as a professional athlete. What she denounces is that those obligations were imposed in such exceptional circumstances.

"But in that moment, I was clearly not thinking about cycling, competition or my responsibilities as an athlete. I was a daughter who had just lost her mum."

Cavallar describes the episode as deeply painful, completely inappropriate, and a lack of respect towards her family. Her message ends with a reflection on the need to remember that behind every athlete, there is a person whose life continues beyond competition.

"I believe in clean sport. But I also believe that humanity, compassion and respect should never be forgotten."

Doping controls and their limits in exceptional situations

The case brings back the debate on how doping controls are applied outside of competition. Professional cyclists are subject to a location system, known as whereabouts, which allows for testing without prior notice, even during periods when they are not competing.

The International Testing Agency (ITA), responsible for the UCI's anti-doping program, states that athletes can be subjected to controls at any time and place. However, Cavallar's account raises the question of to what extent extraordinary personal circumstances should be considered when executing these tests.

The issue of the timing and conditions of the controls had already generated controversy during the 2026 Tour de France, when several riders criticized tests conducted in the early morning. The UCI itself acknowledged at that time that they could disrupt the cyclists' rest, although it defended their use in exceptional circumstances.