Some riders would prefer GPS trackers to whereabouts system, says CPA president Hansen

CPA president Adam Hansen has floated the possibility of using a GPS tracker in lieu of the current whereabouts filing system for out-of-competition anti-doping controls.

Under the ADAMS (Anti-Doping Administration and Management System) system, riders must provide information on their whereabouts each day as well as a 60-minute time slot in which they are available for testing. Riders face suspension in the event of three missed tests or whereabouts filing failures in a rolling twelve-month period.

Speaking to the Domestique Hotseat podcast, Hansen claimed that changes to the ADAMS system introduced last year had increased the likelihood of riders recording missed tests or filing failures.

“The change in 2025 is the doping control officer must not call the athlete outside the one-hour slot,” Hansen said. “And if the rider just puts nothing in their daily activities, that means the doping control officer assumes that they’re just at home. But if they’re not home, then the rider automatically gets a letter of a missed test.

“This has complicated a lot of things because riders were not aware of it and a lot of riders were caught out. Me and the CPA are a bit frustrated with this, because it’s sort of like they’re trying to catch riders out instead of trying to catch dopers. Because if you’re trying to catch dopers, just pick up the phone and call the athlete and they’ll come and give you a sample. 

“For me, [the current format] is more a disadvantage for the clean riders and more an advantage for the doped riders.”

Hansen canvassed the opinions of riders on a recent tour of team training camps, with one squad unanimously declaring they would prefer to undertake GPS tracking than the current whereabouts filing system.

“One team all agreed they’d rather have a GPS tracker on them than to do any whereabouts,” Hansen said. “It’s just so common to have a missed control because of administration or because something changes in the rider’s daily plan, so if they had a GPS tracker, then they’re safe. They don’t have to write anything in the whereabouts, and then they can catch them to give a sample any time. It was interesting to hear that.

“Let’s say if there was an app on your phone and your phone said exactly where you are, I’d much rather have that than to put my whereabouts because it’s just so easy to have administration faults.”

Hansen revealed that the idea had already struck him when he was a rider, and he inadvertently missed two tests as he was unable to hear the doorbell ring from the altitude room he had installed at his home. 

“They came, they rang, I couldn’t hear it, and then four weeks later, I got two letters saying I had missed controls,” he said. “I was in shock because I was like, ‘When was it?’ And I checked, and I saw I was at home, and then I worked out that I could not hear the doorbell when I’m in my altitude room.

“And I just thought, it’s so easy for them just to pick up the phone, call me, and within one minute I’m at the door, but they’d rather give you missed controls. 

“And so for the following year, I changed my one-hour slot from 6-7am to 7-8am, and I sat at a chair facing my gate to make sure that I wouldn’t ever miss a test.”

Listen to the full Hotseat podcast with Adam Hansen👇