Pawel and Kacper Szczepaniak, the under-23 gold and silver medallists at January’s World Cyclocross Championships, both tested positive for EPO after the race, according to Sporza. The two riders dominated the race in Tabor, Czech Republic, taking the lead in the second of seven laps and never looking like being caught by the rest.
This was the first time that Poland had won a Cyclocross World Championship medal at any level.
If the positive test is confirmed, the brothers will be stripped of their medals. In this event the new under-23 champion would be current bronze medallist Arnaud Jouffroy of France, who finished just one second behind Kacper. World Cup winner Tom Meussen of Belgium, who was a surprise non-medallist having been so dominant all season, would be awarded the silver.
Marek Konwa, who finished fifth, would step up to bronze and ironically become the first ever Pole to take a Cross Worlds medal.
20-year-old Pawel recently signed for the Belgian Telenet-Fidea team, which includes current senior World champion Zdenek Stybar and two-time World champion Bart Wellens. Team manager Hans Van Kasteren is set to hold a press conference this afternoon.
It has not yet been revealed whether they will request the analysis of the B-sample.
Cycling is at the forefront of anti-doping in sport and continues to narrow the window of opportunity for cheats. Should the positive results be confirmed, it wouldn't be surprising to see cycling take a more proactive approach to anti-doping in the U23 ranks.