nikoncmk

from good ol' velonews

CONI reports Beijing positive
By Charles Pelkey
Posted Apr. 28, 2009

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) announced Tuesday it has learned that an Italian cyclist tested positive for a performance-enhancing substance at last summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing.

According to a news release issued Tuesday, CONI was informed of a positive A sample and has notified the rider of the result. Under the provisions of the World Anti-Doping Code, the rider has the option to ask that his B sample be tested to confirm the result.

News of the result was sent to CONI following the International Olympic Committee's decision to re-test 948 samples from the Games. According to the IOC, 948 samples were subjected to further analysis using tests for Insulin Growth Factor and for the new generation of EPO, known as CERA.

According to the IOC, none of the samples tested positive for IGF, but seven tested positive for CERA.

“The further analysis of the Beijing samples that we conducted should send a clear message that cheats can never assume that they have avoided detection,” said Arne Ljungqvist, Chairman of the IOC Medical Commission. “The vast majority of athletes do not seek an unfair advantage. We intend to do all we can to ensure that they have a fair environment for competition.”

kimconyc

Wasn't the road race like a 1-day thing (152.5 miles)? I understand doping in Grand Tours because they are so grueling but wtf is EPO supposed to do for a 1-day road race?

And if that rider is not smart enough to taper off the juice before or learn to cover it up, then he deserves to get caught for being a total doping noob.

botto 

Wrong forum. Take it to 'professional cycling.'

HigherGround

It looks like Davide Rebellin is the latest member of the former Gerolsteiner team to achieve notoriety.

kimconyc

This guy has been on the podium all Spring. If you read the Andy Hampsten interview he did with NYVelocity (https://nyvelocity.com/content/interv...sten-interview) it totally makes sense. Hampsten said something along the lines that a lot of the dopers would dominate in the Spring and fade into obscurity once the TdF was rolling (partly because of the heat and the reaction the drugs had with the heat), back when he was racing.

Rebellin is/was an awesome Spring rider but his resume for Grand Tours is lacking.

edit:
Gerolsteiner: Rebellin, Schumacher, Kohl.

azdroptop

What does it do for a one day race??? Push the rider's hematocrit to 50. Probably just didn't get off of it in time or the masking agent didn't work.

outofthesaddle

I think that they going back and retesting with a test for CERA that wasn't available last year.

gpelpel

Correct.

DrPete 

EPO and the increased oxygen carrying capacity that it brings would be as useful for a 1-day stage as anything. The various hormones, i.e. HGH, testosterone, etc. are the better recovery aids.