procycling.comnews main.aspOpen ↗ "It is difficult to speak out," said the 28 year-
old, 13th in Tour de France two years ago. "To speak out you need proof, and I don’t have proof.
Only rumours...It’s true that at the Tour this year I heard talk of blood transfusions. I also
thought that the racing was very fast and that didn’t apply to just Cofidis. But Philippe Gaumont,
Marek Rutkiewicz and Robert Sassone (the three riders now formally under investigation – Ed.) aren’t
exactly top of the cycling class. If they are taking banned products, then what about the others,
those who win things…?"
Moncoutié is a life-long devotee of homeopathy, whose mistrust of conventional medicine, including
doping, is well-documented. He now confesses that a lowly 43rd-place finish in this year’s Grand
Boucle left him feeling deflated and resigned:
"I’ve realised now that I’ll never aim for the general classification again," Moncoutié explained
yesterday. "I don’t have the natural means and taking drugs goes against my philosophy. Some
people want results at any price, they want the money and the glory. I’m not like them. Enjoying
myself is enough."
This is reminiscent of Andy Hampsten's comments about doping and his career.