UCI bans Portuguese rider for four years after biological passport abnormalities
Portuguese rider António Carvalho Ferreira has been handed a four year period of ineligibility by the UCI after an Anti-Doping Rule Violation linked to unexplained abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport.
The UCI stated that the case relates to data points recorded in 2018, 2023 and 2024. Under the World Anti-Doping Code and UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the ban runs from 4 November 2025 through 3 November 2029.
The governing body added that the matter was closed via an acceptance of consequences procedure, and that it will not comment further.
Carvalho Ferreira’s story has mostly been written at home. A Volta a Portugal stage winner three times, and third overall in 2022 and 2023, he has been one of the constants of the Portuguese scene for more than a decade. He also finished second at the Portuguese time trial championships in 2019 and took bronze at nationals on the road.
The news lands in an uneasy spell for Portuguese cycling, still living with the aftershocks of the W52 FC Porto saga. In that long running case, former staff members received prison sentences, including four years for coach Adriano Quintanilha and nine months for sports director Nuno Ribeiro, according to reporting around the verdict.
Carvalho Ferreira rode for W52 from 2015 to 2019 before moving through other Portuguese continental teams. Most recently he raced for Feirense Beeceler.
It is already the eighth biological passport case of the year. Oier Lazkano remains the biggest name on the list, tied to values dating back to his Movistar period.
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