July 31, 2008 (Rome, Italy) – Riccardo Ricco (Saunier Duval) confessed yesterday to having taken a version of the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) report BBC and AP. Ricco tested positive during the Tour de France, leading to the withdrawal of his team.
"What I did during the Tour is done. I made a mistake and the mistake is only mine," said Ricco in a statement after meeting behind closed doors with the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI). CONI has banned Ricco from professional cycling reports AFP, but the duration of the ban was not specified. It is speculated, however, that his ban will be for two years.
The 24-year-old Italian who won two stages of the TdF is considered one of the best climbers worldwide. Ricco has been fired by his team and could be prosecuted under French law. The criminal penalties include a maximum two-year jail term
Traces of the banned substance CERA (Continuous Erythropietin Receptor Activator) showed up in one of Ricco’s urine samples after the fourth stage, a 29.5 km time-trial at Cholet. CERA is described as an advanced version of EPO.
Ricco’s statement could be seen as a denial that Saunier-Duval was involved in team doping as some have suggested. Another Saunier-Duval rider, Leonardo Piepoli, was also fired from the team after apparently confessing to using CERA, but he did not fail any doping tests. Piepoli will meet with CONI today (Thursday).
Ricco has now criticized the doping tests as being ineffective, noting that he only failed two doping tests when in fact he should have failed ten. Ricco suggested that the method needs to be checked.
Four riders tested positive at doping tests during the 2008 TdF. Apart from Ricco, these include Manuel Beltran (Liquigas), Moisés Dueñas (Barloworld) and Kazakh rider Dmitriy Fofonov (Crédit Agricole). Piepoli, as noted, did not fail any doping tests. A total of 180 cyclists started the TdF on July 5.
Another prominent cyclist has an upcoming hearing before CONI. Marta Bastianelli (Safi-Pasta Zara Manhattan) who won the road world championships in Stuttgart, Germany in 2007 will meet CONI Tuesday following news that she tested positive for the banned stimulant flenfluramine which can be found in dietary aids.
For more on this story BBC, AFP.
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Photo: Cor Vos
Riccardo Ricco (Saunier Duval) confessed to CONI yesterday to having taken a version of the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).
Photo: Cor Vos
Photo: Cor Vos
Ricco explains...
Photo: Cor Vos
Photo: Cor Vos
Media attend the CONI session...
Photo: Cor Vos
Photo: Cor Vos
Riccardo Ricco confesses to doping at the TdF.
Photo: Cor Vos
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