Rider forced to undergo doping test in room next to her mother, who had just died: 'Painful, inappropriate, disrespectful'

"For personal and family reasons, I had to end my season early after this year's Tour de France. Normally, I prefer to keep my private life out of the public eye, but I feel it's important to share this," she began her story.

"The loss of my mother in September has changed my outlook on life forever. You can spend a large part of your life pursuing goals, pushing your limits, and measuring success by results, victories, and achievements. But losing someone you love makes you realize how little that really matters in the end.”

"Life isn't about how much you achieve, how successful you become, or how many people know your name. It’s about the people you love, the moments you share, and the memories you create. I’ve always known how important my family is to me, but I think I only truly understood how important it was when I had to experience life without my mother,” said Cavallar.

"What made this experience even harder was that, just a few hours after my mother passed away, I had to undergo a doping test at home, in the room next to where she was lying," she continued.

"I understand the importance of a clean sport, and I have always respected the responsibility that comes with being a professional athlete."

"But at that moment, I certainly wasn't thinking about cycling, races, or my responsibilities as an athlete. I was a daughter who had just lost her mother. It was incredibly painful, completely inappropriate, and disrespectful to my family to have to undergo a doping test under those circumstances."

"It was a moment when I realised how easily we forget that behind every athlete there is a person with a life, a family, and emotions that don't just disappear when the responsibilities of professional sports begin," says Cavallar. "I believe in clean sports. But I also believe that humanity, compassion, and respect must never be forgotten."