The S’annara Grove suspension has forced the former South African road champion out of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women after an adverse analytical finding.
Grove, 32, did not start Friday’s third stage of the Women’s WorldTour race. The International Testing Agency imposed a mandatory provisional suspension after notifying her of the case.
S’annara Grove suspension follows Commonwealth Games test
The ITA said the finding came from an out-of-competition sample collected by Commonwealth Sport on 28 July 2026. The test took place in the scope of the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Those Games ran from 23 July to 2 August 2026, and Grove represented South Africa on the track. She was racing the Tour of Britain Women this week with Smurfit Westrock, a British Continental squad.
The adverse analytical finding was for Ipamorelin, a synthetic peptide. The ITA said the substance stimulates the body’s natural production of growth hormone.
Ipamorelin is listed under the 2026 WADA Prohibited List as S2: Peptide Hormones, Growth Factors, Related Substances and Mimetics. The ITA said it is prohibited at all times, in and out of competition.
The agency also stated that Ipamorelin is a non-specified substance. Under the World Anti-Doping Code and UCI results management rules, that triggered a mandatory provisional suspension.
Grove has been informed of the case and may challenge the provisional suspension. The ITA said the case remains underway and added that there would be “no further comments made”.
Smurfit Westrock suspends Grove from team duties
Smurfit Westrock team manager Rick Lister confirmed that Grove had been notified of the adverse analytical finding from her time with the national team.
The team said Grove had been suspended with immediate effect, pending the outcome of the relevant testing and appeals process. It also cited a “strict anti-doping policy” and its commitment to clean sport.
Smurfit Westrock said it could not comment further while the process continues. Grove’s withdrawal left the British Continental team without her for the remainder of the race.
Race continues on Great Orme summit finish
The stage Grove missed finished atop the Great Orme on Friday. Kim Le Court-Pienaar of AG Insurance-Soudal won the stage and moved into the race lead.
The Mauritian champion’s victory came as the wider race continued under the shadow of Grove’s provisional suspension. The results management process now proceeds separately from the Tour of Britain Women.
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