{
  "id": 14481053,
  "title": "‘We recognise that undergoing a doping control in these circumstances has added to her distress’ – ITA apologises to Valentina Cavallar for testing her at an 'extraordinarily painful' time",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/14/we-recognise-that-undergoing-a-doping-control-in-these-circumstances",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-14T12:38:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Cycling Weekly",
    "slug": "cycling-weekly",
    "url": "https://www.cyclingweekly.com/racing/ita-apologises-to-valentina-cavallar-for-testing-her-at-an-extraordinarily-painful-time"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The International Testing Agency (ITA) has apologised to Valentina Cavallar for testing her at an extraordinarily painful time, following the death of her mother. Cavallar, a 25-year-old professional cyclist for SD Worx-Protime, took to social media to express her distress over being subjected to tests immediately after her mother's passing. The Austrian rider withdrew from the Tour de France Femmes and subsequently had to step back from racing due to personal and family reasons. ITA officials visited Cavallar in a room adjacent to where her mother lay on the day of testing. Marta Nawrocka, Head of Communication at the ITA, acknowledged that this was an exceptionally distressing situation for Cavallar and that the doping control officer made efforts to handle the situation with sensitivity and respect. Cavallar and her family fully cooperated with the procedure, and no requests to postpone or discontinue the control were raised. The ITA explained that professional riders are subject to testing, both in and out of competition, to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable anti-doping program.",
  "summary": "UCI’s drug-testing agency has come under criticism for conducted a test on the rider hours after the death of her mother",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}