Shari Bossuyt has tested positive for letrozole, with Canyon SRAM confirming that both the A and B samples were positive for the banned substance. There will be a press conference on Monday 5th June but for now, it’s known that it’s the same substance that has seen Toon Aerts banned for 2 years and that the levels of the substance found in Bossuyt were very low. The positive test was returned after Bossuyt’s win at the Tour de Normandie Feminin on 19th March. Because the positive test happened in France, the case will be looked after by the French anti-doping authorities (AFLD).
Canyon-SRAM has confirmed that, as per its zero-tolerance policy, Shari Bossuyt will not race for the team pending the outcome of the investigation. Letrozole is a substance used to help negate the side effects of anabolic steroids. Its intended purpose is as a breast cancer medicine that restricts the production of estrogen. It also inhibits the breakdown of testosterone and anabolic steroids, so a rider could have higher levels of testosterone.
We will know more tomorrow but it is expected that Bossuyt will declare her innocence. In the case of Toon Aerts, the cyclocross rider pointed the finger at tainted supplements but was unable to satisfactorily prove this with a closed container sample. Aerts and Bossuyt share the same rider agency.
