After eight seasons of racing, Franck Bonnamour’s career is coming to an end at 29 years old. The French rider started this season with Decathlon-Ag2R La Mondiale, but the team terminated his contract in March following an anti-doping case triggered by abnormal values in his biological passport. Initially, Bonnamour strongly declared his innocence and planned to appeal the decision. However, the team, noting the irregular values predated his time with them, chose not to wait for the outcome of the proceedings.
Injustice by the UCI?
Pascal Chanteur, president of the French Riders’ Union, said Bonnamour’s case stems from a test during the penultimate stage of the 2022 Tour de France, when he reportedly had COVID-19 symptoms and dehydration, and an out-of-competition test from October 2018.
French WorldTour rider suspended due to abnormalities in Biological Passport
“What interest would he have had in doing this? Simply put, it’s a blatant injustice.” Chanteur said to Ouest-France in June. “And, why are the 2016 tests showing an abnormal profile ignored? Furthermore, why did the UCI wait a year after the 2022 Tour test to notify him?”
Too expensive to continue his defence
Now, just over six months later, Bonnamour has dropped his defence and decided to retire from professional cycling. “The defense in this case is too expensive,” Bonnamour said to Ouest France. “I’m stopping—I can’t afford to lose everything. It’s been a difficult few months, and I didn’t want this to drag on for two or three years. My priority is to maintain balance.”
Communiqué ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/etZTbo71jf
— Franck Bonnamour (@FranckBonnamour) March 26, 2024
The Frenchman rode for the Continental team Bretagne – Séché Environnement in 2015 and then turned pro in 2020 with Team Arkéa Samsic. His sole win in the big leagues was the La Polynormande in 2022, but he also had runner-up finishes at Paris-Tours (2021), the GC Tour du Limousin (2021), the Tour du Doubs (2019), and a stage of Paris-Nice (2022).
After his dismissal, he posted a statement on X, saying, “I have always been an honest, upright, and clean rider and therefore cannot be accused of cheating.”
When asked to look back on his career, with his peak performances between 2021 and 2022, Bonnamour said there had definitely been an emotional toll. “There are tough times emotionally. My family supports me, and I’m being monitored psychologically, but I fear the future….
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Canadian Cycling Magazine…