| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Philip Zajicek |
| Nickname | "PZ" |
| Born | March 20, 1979 Eugene, United States |
| Height | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) |
| Weight | 140 lb (64 kg) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | suspended for life |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | All-around |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004–2007 2008 2009 2010 |
Mercury Cycling Team Mercury - Viatel Mercury Cycling Team Saturn Cycling Team Team Navigators Insurance Cycling Team Health Net presented by Maxxis Fly V Australia - Virgin Blue Fly V Australia |
| Infobox last updated on June 10, 2011 |
|
Phil Zajicek (born 20 March 1979) of Eugene, Oregon, is an American ex-professional road racing cyclist who last rode professionally for the Fly V Australia Team in 2010. On June 10, 2011, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced that Zajicek had accepted a life-ban from competition.
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Zajicek, a former Junior National Champion, and a Boulder, CO resident, competed throughout the United States and was an known as one of the country's top domestic riders, finishing ahead of Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer in Stage 5 of the 2009 Tour of the Gila. Climbing nearly 10,000 feet over 100-miles, through the Continental Divide and the high desert plains and mountains of New Mexico, Zajicek was the only athlete able to match and set pace with Armstrong and Leipheimer, besting both by multiple bicycle lengths in the final uphill sprint, after nearly 5-hours of aggressive racing as Armstrong and Leipheimer prepared for that year's Tour de France, just 2 months later, where Armstrong finished 3rd overall. Stage 5 of the Tour of the Gila, also known as the "Gila Monster Stage" is widely believed to be the most difficult road course in the United States. Zajicek, also extensively competed in many of the world's toughest and most renowned Pro Tour Road Races, such as the Midi Libre, Biciclista Vasca, Classique des Alpes, Dauphine Libre, Route du Sud, GP Plouay, and the Tour de L’avenir. Zajicek was a key rider in 2005 for the U.S. National Team during the UCI World Championships in Madrid, Spain. For 2011, Zajicek signed a lucrative professional contract for the ill-fated Pegasus Professional Cycling Team Project, but was left without a team after the Australian squad was denied a Professional UCI License.[1]
In 2004, USADA reported that Zajicek tested positive for cathine (norpseudoephedrine), at the Tour of Qinghai Lake on July 22, 2004 in China. Zajicek, then 25, was disqualified from his first-place overall finish at the race and fined 666 Swiss Francs, but he did not draw a suspension from competition[2][3] Zajicek steadfastly denied any intention to dope and claimed he consumed an over-the-counter cold medicine that metabolized into a prohibited substance. Ironically cathine is the metabolite of a legal supplement and USADA agreed with this analysis, subsequently modifying their protocols for testing norpsuedoephedrine from 2004 onward.
On June 10, 2011, USADA announced that Zajicek accepted a life-ban from competition due to alleged doping violations.[4] According to USADA CEO Travis T. Tygart, Zajicek also plead no contest to a second doping offense for purchasing erythropoietin (EPO), and plead no contest to a third doping offense for allegedly providing false testimony at an American Arbitration Association. The AAA is a private enterprise in the business of arbitrating civil disagreements and is not a court of law. Zajicek was also accused of allegedly encouraging other witnesses to provide false testimony. Zajicek was fined $5,000.[5]
Per the terms of his life-ban, Zajicek is disqualified from all competitive results obtained on and subsequent to April 24, 2007, including forfeiture of any medals, points, and prizes.[6]