The exploits of seven-times Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, who is alleged to have used the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO) in 1999, are also down to the use of other banned substances, according to one expert.
Alessandro Donati, a specialist in the fight against doping in sport, suggested the performances of the 33-year-old American appear to show he has used a range of banned substances, including anabolic steroids.
Armstrong, who retired after his seventh yellow-jersey victory last month, has always denied ever taking banned substances, and has been on a major defensive since a report by French newspaper L’Equipe last week showed details of doping test results from the Tour de France in 1999.
The paper alleged Armstrong had tested positive six times for EPO in that year’s race. At the time, the test for EPO did not exist, and testing on the samples from 1999 only began in 2004.
Donati said he was not at all surprised to read the damaging report about Armstrong and even claimed the now-retired American is just one of hundreds of professional cyclists who are dealing with danger.
”During the past few years, there have been clear indications as to how Armstrong has been so successful,” Donati, who was formerly in charge of the Italian Olympic Committee research centre, told German weekly Die Zeit.
EPO, a naturally occurring hormone that is also synthetically produced, has been the scourge of endurance sports for more than 15 years due to its capacity to increase the volume of oxygen-rich red blood cells in the blood.
He added: ”No one could achieve what Armstrong has achieved taking EPO on its own. EPO improves your breathing capacity. But you also need other substances, such as anabolics, testosterone and a lot of others.
”A lot of riders take whatever they can get their hands on, I mean everything, to go faster than the next guy.”
Donati, who has a background specialising in athletics, became known in the anti-doping world in 1994 for creating a file on the top-level athletes and their doctors — in particular in the world of cycling — who had been caught up in doping affairs.
He added: ”Cycling is still a victim of widespread doping. It is caught in the jaws of doping because tactics in cycling plays a very minor role. What you need absolutely most of all is sheer physical strength.”
Donati, however, criticised L’Equipe newspaper for its moralistic stance towards the American. L’Equipe is owned by Amaury Sports Organisation, which is also the mother company that runs the Tour de France.
”The documents printed by L’Equipe are very damaging but also unquestionable. But the paper’s own position is much less clear,” said Donati.
”Newspapers who report on cycling shouldn’t be organising races, especially the Tour de France.
”It the same with the Tour of Italy, which is practically run by the Gazzetta dello Sport [newspaper].” — Sapa-AFP