From summits to sirloins: ‘Superman’ López sells steaks while serving UCI ban to 2027
Colombian climber Miguel Ángel “Superman” López, suspended by the UCI until July 2027 for an anti‑doping violation linked to Operation Ilex, has become the public face of butcher Meat Bros, promoting “champion quality” T‑bones and tomahawks on social media.
Miguel Ángel “Superman” López has swapped summit finishes for sirloins while he waits out his ban from professional cycling, fronting a butcher’s business in Colombia and pitching premium cuts to his sizeable social media following. In a series of posts for Meat Bros, the 31‑year‑old advertises “champion quality” T‑bones and tomahawks, a side venture that both diversifies his income and keeps him visible during his enforced absence from the peloton.
The shift comes midway through a four‑year suspension that runs until July 2027. López was sanctioned by the UCI in May 2024 for an anti‑doping rule violation involving the use and possession of menotropin (human menopausal gonadotropin, hMG) during the 2022 Giro d’Italia. He appealed, but the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) dismissed his case in May 2025, upholding the full term. According to CAS, the timing of the violation fell between 1 and 5 May 2022. López has consistently professed his innocence.
The case formed part of the wider Operation Ilex, a Spanish investigation into an alleged doping network that drew the attention of both sporting and civil authorities. For López, the legal defeat cemented a lengthy spell on the sidelines during years that might otherwise have been among his peak.
That hiatus underlines the contrast with his racing résumé. A gifted climber who once danced away on the steepest ramps, he claimed marquee summit finishes on the Col de la Loze at the 2020 Tour de France and on the Alto d’El Gamoniteiru at the 2021 Vuelta a España. He stood on Grand Tour overall podiums in 2018 and collected stage wins across the sport’s biggest races, burnishing a reputation as one of the most aggressive GC contenders of his generation.
López’s suspension is due to end in July 2027, at which point he will be 33. Any return would require rebuilding race fitness after over four seasons without WorldTour racing. Until then, he continues to front the Meat Bros brand while serving his ban.
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