It'll be at least two years til we see Ricco like this again.Now it's getting serious. Today, the entire Saunier-Duval team was withdrawn after Ricardo Ricco ("The Cobra") tested positive for EPO. Saunier-Duval had been having an unexpectedly good Tour. Ricco had already won 2 stages, and his teammates finished 1-2 on the toughest mountain stage so far. This appeared to be an up-and-coming team worth watching and maybe worth rooting for. We can all save our breath because they're not going anywhere now.
This is by far the biggest and most damaging news for the Tour this year. By figuring prominently on the toughest mountain stages, Saunier-Duval was making its mark on the Tour. I also think it's fair to say that Ricco was one of the most promising young climbers in this year's Tour. Now we know why.
Ricco, the doper on the right, with his withdrawn team.Unfortunately, I think this casts doubt over most of the Tour field. Cyclists from three different teams have now tested positive during the first half of the Tour, and one whole team has been withdrawn. Tour officials did indicate that about 20 riders were under suspicion at the start of the Tour after testing near the limit for a blood component commonly associated with EPO use. While I'm happy that the cheaters are being caught, I'm unspeakably disappointed that professional cyclists continue to feel it necessary to use performance-enhancers. It's also quite dumb for them to use EPO, for which there is a reliable test. Regrettably, one is left to wonder if the other teams are clean, or if they're just better at hiding their usage.
13 Responses:
That really sucks. I almost put a comment in my rest day report about how it's a shame that Ricco's explosiveness makes me question whether he's clean. Apparently my first instinct was correct.
Russell, this doesn't cast doubt over the Tour field. That doubt was already there. I'm still hoping that Garmin-Chipotle and Columbia really are clean, but I even have my doubts about them (sure they're tested all the time, but what if they have something untraceable?).
What's worst about this latest scandal, combined with Rassmussen and Vinokourov last year and Landis the year before is that you have to question every rider who puts in an incredible stage. If a rider turns in what looks to be a superhuman performance, you're going to wonder if he's doping.
Where does the Tour go from here?
I say more power to the TDF for going after cheaters. I just wish Baseball would do the same. American Football is making a start.
I think the major problem with EPO is that it doesn't require a whole regiment to take effect. One dump of EPO immediately provides the increase in hemoglobin needed for increased endurance.
Makes me wonder about what's going on in Italy. After all, he rode really well in the Giro and must have submitted numerous samples there. So, either the Italian federation is turning a blind eye or they weren't able to test for it.
Doubt we will get an explanation on this, but it is a logical question.
All this about dopers as cheaters is misguided, and even has a kind of neo-luddite ring to it.
Read my blog for an explanation why.
www.blogisdead.net
Neo-Luddite has a nice ring to it. "I'm in the new wave of people who abhor and fear the new wave!"
The argument that it isn't cheating to use the newest biomedical technology available makes no sense to me. An act doesn't constitute cheating only because it might give an edge, but rather because the rulemakers in the sport have declared it prohibited. If the rules were different, using EPO would not constitute cheating any more than using (the legal amount of) pine tar is in baseball. It's against the rules, ergo it's cheating under present rules.
I have been a bicycle racing fan for over 20 years, but I never thought I would pine for the days of Greg LeMond vs. Fignon and that great 56 second cliffhanger. This doping culture may very well finish the sport as a major sporting event. As a businessman, I can't imagine any decent sponsor who gives a fig about their brand equity wanting their logo on a jersey of a doper. Or a doper's team named after their company. I would hate to be the marketing VP for Phonak or Ricco's team, your brand associated with cheating. I think the better sponsors are going to become gun shy in the future and the money will dry up. If the money in this sport goes away, the cyclists only have themselves to blame. I feel for the honest ones, they really picked the wrong sport to be in. They should have played tennis or some other sport without the problem. Never again will some stud blow away the rest of the pack on an HC climb and not be looked at with suspicion. Again, the days of Greg LeMond, Kelly, Mottet are gone forever. Very, Very Sad and Stupid!
One would be hard pressed to say there is no doping in other sports such as Tennis, it's just that they don't have this problem because they aren't being found out...
Just semantics but Saunier-Duval was not withdrawn, they withdrew themselves following the ricco incident.
It's not just semantics... it's important to note that SD withdrew voluntarily.
The phrasing was that the team (riders) was withdrawn by the managers (sponsor, team director, etc.). You're correct that the team withdrew voluntarily, and I thought the use of "withdrawn" over "kicked out" (or something similar) carried that implication.
It shows that sports that ignore the drug problems (like the NFL and MLB) are better off then the sports (cycling, track and field) that actually try to do something. Maybe fans have sort of a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy with sports?
That attitude comes across in the comment about longing for the days of Fignon, Lemond and Mottet -- does he really think they were clean or since they weren't tested, it doesn't matter?
I'm definitely all for burying my head in the sand when it comes to the NFL.
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