Tour de France facing scrutiny as doping clouds gather
LIEGE, Belgium (AFP) - The Tour de France will click into gear on Saturday
with a premature hangover amid doping controversy and allegations which
could leave the race open to a police raid.
US Postal's five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is the latest
big name rider to be linked - via a controversial new book - to the use of
EPO (erythropoietin), the banned blood booster which almost brought the Tour
to its knees after the Festina scandal in 1998.
Britain's David Millar last week admitted to police that he had used the
drug.
The future of Millar, who should have been saddling up with ambitions to win
the yellow jersey on Saturday's prologue, is now uncertain after he appeared
in a Paris court Thursday and was charged with possession of toxic
substances.
Armstrong and his lawyers meanwhile are awaiting word on whether they can
have a "defamatory disclaimer" inserted in the controversial new book, "LA
Confidential - the Secrets of Lance Armstrong", which carries a number of
stunning allegations from the American's former colleagues.
But apart from the Armstrong controversy, it is clear that cycling - one of
the most tested sports in the world - is still battling its old enemy.
And the race's former number two, Daniel Baal, says it's time to move up a
gear in the fight against the cheats.
Baal, who believes that the controversy on Armstrong in the new book "merits
reflection", feels that determined, and well-informed athletes can always
stay one step ahead.
"Since the start of 2004, doping has constantly been in the limelight," he
told AFP. "As long as an athlete does not test positive, he can continue
cheating as long as he wants.
"Despite the progress made in the fight against doping, laboratories can
only look for and find products that we think are being used, and the
products we know how to find. That always leaves room for some manoeuvre."
Experts are mostly unanimous in claiming that catchnig users of EPO is
practically impossible because of refined methods of administration such as
"microdosing."
Other doping methods, alleged by former Kelme rider Jesus Manzano earlier
this year, include blood transfusions.
Manzano claimed that all the above methods were used by his ex-team at last
year's centenary race, on which there were virtually no positive tests.
The most recent controversies have emerged because of police investigations
using phone tapping and surveillance techniques.
Such was the case in January when police pounced on the Cofidis team. Only
last week police in Italy carried out a similar operation, naming Saeco's
Danilo Di Luca as one of three Italians to be caught talking about their EPO
use.
All professional riders nowadays are forced to carry a medical notebook
detailing any medicines prescribed or drugs used.
However Baal feels its time to go a step further and totally rethink the
whole anti-doping philosophy.
"The credibility of results is under threat and eventually I just don't
think people will not begin to notice," Baal said.
EPO is the perfect example. Once used in massive amounts in the 1990's -
forcing the sport's ruling body the International Cycling Union (UCI) to
introduce safegurad tests to determine riders' haematocrit (volume of red
blood cells) levels - it is now used much more intelligently.
"It's not easy because sometimes a product can be found, and sometimes it
can't. For example, we know that microdoses of EPO used in the right way can
help riders slip through the nets."
Baal even claims that the current anti doping code of the World Anti Doping
Agency could turn out to be useless if the correct measures are not taken.
"It's often said that the WADA's international anti-doping code will break
new ground. Of course, sanctions can be applied across the board from one
sport to another, but only those athletes who are caught will be sanctioned.
"Those who always manage to slip through the nets can continue to keep
competing without a care in the world.
"I would propose a new system whereby every rider would own a biological and
physiological passport which would allow us to have a certain number of
figures which could be analysed as the years go by."
Race chief Jean-Marie Leblanc meanwhile has said he is "sceptical" about the
allegations made against Armstrong in the new book.
However the 59-year-old will direct his 16th Tour de France knowing it would
be no surprise if they had an impromptu visit from police.
"We can't rule out the possibility (of a raid)," said Leblanc days ago.
"We would understand it if it happened on the Tour. But, just like in 1998
(Festina scandal), all I'm asking is that if it happens, then it does so
with he utmost dignity for the riders, who have a long and difficult three
weeks."