José Belda

Hailing from Ontinyent, in the Province of Valencia, Belda started cycling at the age of 26, later than most. He made his competition debut in the highest amateur level in Spain at 30 years old.^[1] In 2006, he celebrated his first victory at this level, winning the second stage of the Vuelta a Galicia.^[2]

In 2007, Belda was unable to compete in the GP Macario due to having a hematocrit level above 50%.^[1] A few months later, he won his first Vuelta a Tenerife.^[3] In 2008, Belda celebrated several more victories, including the Quebrantahuesos, one of the most well-known and difficult amateur races in the country.^[4]

From 2009 to 2011, Belda was the best amateur cyclist in Spain. Victorious on numerous occasions, he was particularly famous during the 2011 season by winning 30 races, including many of the stage races on the Spanish amateur calendar (Volta ás Comarcas de Lugo, Vuelta a Castellón, Vuelta a Tenerife, Tour of the Province of Valencia, Vuelta a Galicia, Vuelta a Cantabria). These impressive performances, although attracting the attention of Spanish professional teams, such as Geox–TMC and Movistar Team, also caused doubts among other Spanish cyclists.

In 2012, Belda's success continued. In May, he stood out among professionals, when he finished third in the queen stage and fourth overall in the Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid, a UCI Europe Tour 2.1 event, while riding with the Spanish national team.^[5] After this performance, Eusebio Unzué, the team manager of Movistar Team, planned to offer Belda a professional contract with the team for the following season. However, the UCI announces that they have received two positive anti-doping tests from Belda, for methyltestosterone and ritalinic acid, both in races Belda won.^[1] After these tests, Belda served a two-year suspension, ultimately ending his career.^[6]