Trek Bikes expressed disappointment after longtime sponsored cyclist Katie Compton tested positive for anabolic agents in an out-of-competition test on September 16, 2020.

Compton has accepted the four-year suspension handed down by the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). The global bicycle brand told Cycling News that the process was fair and that it respects the decision. [Trek Bikes brand manager Eric Björling said, "We are sorry to learn that Katie has tested positive. Trek Bikes brand manager Eric Björling said, "We believe the process was fair and we respect USADA's decision and Katie's decision to retire. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors."

USADA announced Wednesday that a urine sample collected during an out-of-competition test last September was analyzed using a special test known as a carbon isotope ratio test and tested positive for an anabolic agent in Compton. This test distinguishes between anabolic-androgenic steroids, which are naturally produced by the body, and prohibited anabolic agents of external origin.

USADA stated in a statement that all anabolic androgenic steroids are non-specific substances in the category of anabolic drugs and are subject to the USADA Protocol for Olympic and Paralympic Athletic Testing, the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee National Anti-doping Policy, and the International Cycling Union Anti-Doping Rules, explaining that they are prohibited at all times. Compton's four-year suspension began on September 16, 2020, when her positive sample was taken; according to a USADA statement, she was also disqualified from all competition results obtained after that date, including forfeiture of medals, points, and prizes.

Since the positive reaction, Compton's racing schedule has been restricted, but she was disqualified from three local races, four wins at the US Open of Cyclocross, and all European results and placings for the 2020-2021 season.

The 42-year-old, who had planned to retire after the UCI Cyclocross World Championships in Arkansas on January 29-30, 2022, said she was incredibly sad to end her career this way.

Compton has been a sponsored athlete for the Trek bike brand for many years. She won 15 consecutive U.S. national titles in cyclocross, became the first American woman to stand on the podium at a cyclocross world championship in 2007, and won 23 World Cup victories and five medals at cyclocross world championships throughout her career.

In an official statement released Wednesday, Compton said the news of the positive test is devastating because she has always said she is a clean athlete and has never intentionally or knowingly used performance enhancing substances.

She also said she hired a lawyer to investigate how the substance entered her system but failed to find answers.

"In the last six months, I've learned that I can't prove that I didn't intentionally ingest anything, and I can't afford to keep fighting knowing that whatever the outcome will be the same," Compton said. Unfortunately, seeing that there were five months between sample collection and notification, I found it impossible to try to figure out what allegedly entered my body, and I decided to stop fighting an expensive and difficult battle and accept the sanctions."

"I am now in the process of trying to prove that the samples I took were from the same source.