Matt White completes six-month anti-doping ban

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Former US Postal, Cofidis rider and Orica GreenEdge sports director Matt White has issued a statement to Cyclingnews announcing that he has completed a six month ban as of April 13, 2013.

On October 13 of last year, White confessed to doping explaining he was "part of a team where doping formed part of the team's strategy, and I too was involved in that strategy. My involvement is something I am not proud of and I sincerely apologise to my fans, media, family and friends who trusted me and also to other athletes in my era that consciously chose not to dope."

That confession was in the wake of the USADA report into Lance Armstrong and his associates, whereby White was identified as Rider 9 as part of the organisation's Reasoned Decision. He was subsequently stood down from his role as sports director with Orica GreenEdge and the team then began their own external review of anti-doping policies and procedures, led by former WADA director Nicki Vance. White was also sacked from his role as men's professional road co-ordinator with Cycling Australia.

"I have so much passion for cycling and I would like the opportunity to again work with the cyclists of the future," White said on Friday. "I believe that my experience will prove invaluable when advising these athletes of the importance in making the correct decisions.

"In my roles with Slipstream Sports, Cycling Australia and at Orica-GreenEdge, I have always acted within the ethos of clean sport and I am very proud to have worked with the new generation of clean stars."

Matt White's statement in full:

Last Friday I received from the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) an infraction notice and letter outlining the decision of the Anti-Doping Rule Violation Panel (ADRVP) to enter my name onto the register of doping offenders as a consequence of what I did in my past.

Since admitting my history last October, I have co-operated fully with ASADA including submitting to a provisional suspension pending a determination by the ADRVP. I have now been notified by ASADA that on the basis of my admissions and co-operation the ADRVP have imposed a sanction of six months for the period October 13, 2012 to April 13, 2013.

There is no doubt that if I could have my time again I would never have engaged in the culture that was both accepted and expected of professional riders during my racing career. In saying that I accept full responsibility for my actions and there is no one to blame but myself for the decisions I made as an athlete in the past.

I would like to apologize to my family, friends and all those associated with the sport of cycling for my use of prohibited substances during my racing career.

I stopped my racing career because I had the opportunity to be part of something that had the potential to actually change cycling. The ideas about a clean team that Dave Millar and Jonathan Vaughters spoke to me about back then were initiatives the sport desperately needed. History has now shown that these ideas when fully implemented are having a lasting impact on cycling.

With key elements like "Blood Profiling" which was later taken on board as the "Athlete Biological Passport" and the "No-Needles-Policy" also adopted by th e UCI and WADA, a radical change for the better started to dominate the minds of a lot of athletes. These are legacies that were pioneered at Slipstream and they have had a real and lasting impact on cycling.

I have so much passion for cycling and I would like the opportunity to again work with the cyclists of the future. I believe that my experience will prove invaluable when advising these athletes of the importance in making the correct decisions.

In my roles with Slipstream Sports, Cycling Australia and at ORICA-GreenEDGE, I have always acted within the ethos of clean sport and I am very proud to have worked with the new generation of clean stars.

In cycling today there is no need to take performance enhancing drugs to be successful. I know I can be part of the solution to continue the work our sport has already started by changing the culture, something I have witnessed and been involved in since my retirement.

I hope that I can repay the faith and trust showed to me in the past by leading the ongoing fight for a clean sport in the future.