Doping Investigations Underway
36 year-old Italian contender Alessandro Petacchi has just received formal notification that the prosecutor Benedetto Roberti is conducting an inquiry into Italian doping practices and that he is under investigation. Petacchi currently wears the green jersey in the 2010 Tour de France, but close contender Thor Hushovd now has the comfort of knowing that if he never regains the jersey from the Italian, he may be given it anyways at the conclusion of the investigation.
Petacchi, riding for team Lampe-Farnese Vini, is suspected of having used ‘forbidden substances and practices’ before the start of the Tour. Perfluorocarbon (PFC) has been suspected as an alternative to Erythropoietin (EPO) since 1997 when the Union Cycliste International became adept at detecting EPO, which had been widely used by contenders. PFC, on the other hand, is not yet detectable, and is used to increase the oxygen carrying capacity of blood.
As part of the investigation, which had placed team Lampre as a top suspect, Petacchi’s home was searched in April, though no illegal drugs were found. A teammate’s home was also searched, as were 22 other homes of patients of the team’s doctor.
Petacchi received a two-year ban from professional cycling after testing positive for salbutamol in 2007. While being under investigation does not result in automatic exclusion for the Tour, precedent does exist for a team to pull a controversial contender. In April, when Alessandro Ballan and Mauro Santambrogio were being targeted by the same investigation, their team BMC-Racing suspended them until they were cleared. Both riders started in this year’s Tour de France, though Santambrogio abandoned it due to an illness in the 15th Stage.
Landis investigation ongoing
As for the ongoing investigation into the Floyd Landis accusations, the cyclist has made a surprising move. The Bend Memorial Clinic has confirmed that Landis will be a contender in the Cascade Cycling Classic. The six-stage race in Bend, Oregon takes place from July 20th to the 25th, and will be paired with a television program highlighting the controversial cyclist, to be aired nation-wide on the ABC network’s program Nightline.
"I got word yesterday that he was interested in coming and that he was trying to put together a little composite team," said Chuck Kenlan, the race's Executive Director. "That fell through because he couldn't come up with enough money to get the other guys up here so he will be flying solo. I'm not sure what jersey he is going to wear. When I spoke with him today he didn't say anything about that."
In May, Landis admitted that he had used performance-enhancing drugs during his 2006 Tour de France victory, and for most of his professional career. He tested positive for synthetic testosterone and was stripped of his title. Landis has since received major publicity for implicating many of his previous teams and teammates, including seven-time champion Lance Armstrong. Because he implicated a team sponsored by the U.S. Postal Service, his accusations resulted in a federal investigation by Jeff Novitzky of the FDA.
"I got a call from ABC News today and they were really vague on what the angle of their story was going to be, but you can only guess," said Kenlan. "It could be a double edged sword depending on how they spin their coverage. But, to have them cover a race in the city of Bend and the history of this race is so strong that hopefully that will come out in whatever they are going to do."
Kenlan made it clear to Landis that he would only be allowed to race if he made himself available to the local media. Landis had also registered for the American races Tour de Nez and the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic, but abandoned each before the start. However, Landis did make the start of this year's Cascade Cycling Classic and has been riding in it solo since the start on July 21st.
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