The future of men’s road cycling in the Olympics could be threatened unless the sport cleans up its doping record.
Thomas Bach, vice president of the International Olympic Committee, said on Tuesday that the latest doping revelations from the Tour de France have further damaged the sport’s credibility and called its Olympic status into question.
If the entire sport doesn’t pull together to improve the situation, “then you have to consider giving men’s road cycling a pause” from Olympic participation, Bach said in a telephone interview.
The head of world cycling called Bach’s suggestion “completely unacceptable” and said the sport was weeding out the drug cheats.
Anti-doping and cycling officials said Monday that Leonardo Piepoli of Italy and Stefan Schumacher of Germany had tested positive during this year’s Tour de France for CERA, an advanced version of the blood-booster EPO. Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco previously admitted to CERA use.
“This is a hard blow for the credibility of men’s road cycling,” Bach said. “Obviously, the riders have not changed their mentality. They had a chance to do so, but they did not and this makes it even worse.”
The head of the Tour de France on Tuesday hailed a new lab test that exposed the three riders.
“It’s very good. It allows us to confound the cheaters,” Christian Prudhomme said. “What’s being done at the Tour de France has never existed in the world of sport, in no competition.”
Prudhomme said it took more than two months for the positive tests to emerge because while blood samples from riders were taken during the race, testing them for CERA was not yet authorized.
In another development, Luxembourg’s anti-doping agency has expanded an investigation against cyclist Frank Schleck, who wore the yellow jersey for three days during the Tour and was suspended by his team last week.
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