Many of those caught taking EPO like David Millar, Richard Virenque et al. never actually failed a drugs test. They were simply found with the EPO on them. Others like Bjanne Riis have since admitted to taking EPO, even though they never failed a drugs test But, with 3 failed EPO test in the Tour already, it seems that testing for micro use of EPO has improved.
The case of Riccardo Riccò is interesting. According the Saunier Duval website…
“In spite of his superb performance (Riccardo Ricco), it wasn´t easy for him to make his pro cycling debut because several blood tests revealed his hematocrit levels exceeded the accepted ones. Further exhaustive tests by the UCI confirmed Riccò´s hematocrit level was normally high.”
Riccardo Ricci at Saunier Duval. Maybe the ‘abnormally high Hematocrit levels weren’t so ‘natural’ after all
Also he used the same doctor / trainer as Marco Pantani. Pantani, had a hematocrit level of upto 60%, which is frankly ridiculous and suggested abuse of EPO.
I always feel that you can tell alot by the trainers that cyclists use. If you really wanted to be a new generation clean rider, you wouldn’t goto see a doctor with a history of dealing with athletes who take dope.
Saunier Duval have withdrawn from the Tour; if they were sincere in trying to be dope free, I feel sorry for them. However, they may have to answer questions about how one of their top riders were able to dope whilst being on their team.
Are these 3 Failed EPO tests a Good Thing or Bad Thing?
It was hoped this would be a drug free tour, which has now failed to materialise. In one sense it is encouraging that there seems to be an effective test for EPO. Certainly in the past many cyclists were taking it but they were able to pass any drugs test without failing. The question is whether this is a case of getting the remnant cheating cyclists or whether they were just a small % who were unlucky to fail a test. Of course, we can only hope that it is a case of drugs tests working and getting rid of the last cheats.
It will be interesting to see whether there are any sudden ‘retirements’ due to the increased effectiveness of testing….
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