Dr. Ferrari has long been a controversial figure in cycling. In 1994, after three riders under his care swept the Belgian Classic Fleche Wallonne, inquiries were made into his training methods. When peppered with questions by journalists alluding to performance-enhancing drugs, Dr. Ferrari is reported to have stated that you could only say someone was doping if they tested positive for a banned substance; "If it doesn't show up in the drug controls, then it's not doping" (2).
Dr. Ferrari is also alleged to have stated that, if he were a rider, he would take everything he could get away with. Yet another famous quote attributed to Dr. Ferrari in 1994, which Armstrong described as an 'irresponsible comment': "EPO is not dangerous; it's the abuse that is. It's also dangerous to drink 10 litres of orange juice" (3).
In 1984, Dr. Ferrari and his mentor, Francesco Conconi, helped Francesco Moser break the one-hour cycling record, previously held by Eddy Merckx, who rode a distance of 49.431 kilometers in one hour in 1972. On January 19, 1894, Moser rode 50.808 kilometers in one hour, breaking Merckx's record by almost one mile. Just four days later, Moser broke his own standard, bettering his own record by riding 51.151 kilometers (4).
Dr. Ferrari was under suspicion for using performance-enhancing drugs to assist professional riders under his care since 1998. While blood doping was not banned at the time of Moser's incredible record rides, Moser admitted in 1999 his records in 1984 were the result of the use of performance-enhancing blood doping techniques, where his own blood was stored and then transfused before a major event, thus increasing the amount of oxygen-carrying red blood cells (5).
In August 1998, Italian police raided Dr. Ferrari's home, seizing files and records, including riders' diaries. Little evidence linked to Armstrong was found, perhaps due to the fact he did not ride in 1997 while he battled cancer. One Armstrong record did note a hematocrit level of 47; a record attributed to Kevin Livingston noted a hematocrit level of 49.9. Prior to the formulation of a test to confirm EPO use, hematocrit levels over 50 were subject to a 15-day ban. Livingston was a U.S. Postal Service team-mate of Armstrong's in 1999 and 2000 (6).
In 2001, several European newspapers reiterated the doping allegations against Dr. Ferrari. David Walsh, in a London Times article, also raised the spectre of doping in professional cycling and questioned how Armstrong could be successful in a sport so rife with drugs (8).
In an April 2001 interview with Walsh, Armstrong was confronted with apparent evidence of his travels to Italy. Armstrong refused to confirm or deny he was working with Dr. Ferrari, equivocally stating that 'perhaps' he might be doing so (9).
However, on July 8, 2001, in response to allegations with respect to his relationship with Dr. Ferrari, Armstrong released a written statement regarding the Italian physician. In his statement, Armstrong confirmed he and his coach and training advisor, Chris Carmichael, first met Dr. Ferrari in 1995 at a training camp in San Diego, California. He stated that Dr. Ferrari's role was limited and his involvement was, in part, based on the fact he was based in Europe. Since Carmichael could not always travel to Europe and trusted Dr. Ferrari's testing methods, Dr. Ferrari was used to conduct tests and provide data to Carmichael (10).
Armstrong stated that Dr. Ferrari provided advice regarding diet, altitude preparation, hypoxic training and the use of altitude tents, all natural methods of improvement. Interestingly, Armstrong also acknowledged he was training to break the one-hour cycling record (11). It seems a curious statement given Moser's acknowledgement in 1999 that Dr. Ferrari assisted him with blood-doping during his assault on the one-hour record.
As a result of the investigation by Italian police, Dr. Ferrari was charged with sports fraud and, in September 2001, his trial began. Though the trial lasted over three years, Livingston and Alex Merckx, son of the great Eddy Merckx, both riders who had received training advice from Dr. Ferrari, were 'unable to testify' (12).
In February 2002, Italian rider Filippo Simeoni testified at the trial. Simeoni admitted to taking EPO and growth hormone under the instruction of Dr. Ferrari. He stated he began to visit Dr. Ferrari in his hometown of Farrara in 1996 and was prescribed both drugs by the doctor. Simeoni further acknowledged discussions with Dr. Ferrari in March and April 1997 regarding Andriol, a form of testosterone (13).
Simeoni testified that Dr. Ferrari advised him to take Andriol after long rides of five or six hours, that he should avoid the use of testosterone too close to competition to avoid detection, to use a product called Emagel prior to doping controls and another product to decrease Hematocrit levels (14).
In October 2004, Dr. Ferrari was convicted of sports fraud and abuse of his medical license in Italian court. However, it was reported in May 2006 that, on appeal, Dr. Ferrari's conviction was overturned (15).
Immediately after his conviction, Armstrong formally severed all ties with Dr. Ferrari (16).
In 2007, Alexandre Vinokourov reportedly acknowledged he began an association with Dr. Ferrari after the end of the 2005 season when he left the T-Mobile team. Vinokourov mentioned Armstrong's prior association with Dr. Ferrari as justification for the relationship (17).
On July 24, 2007, Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping at the Tour de France. When his "B" sample confirmed the positive test, he was banned for one year. In December 2007, Vinokourov announced his retirement from professional cycling (18).
Vinokourov reportedly told Belgian TV programme, Sporza, that he wished to return to professional cycling (19). In October 2008, Vinokourov noted that he wanted to join Armstrong at Astana after a management overhaul that had brought in Johan Bruyneel, a long-time close confidant and coach of Armstrong (20).
Vinokourov claimed Astana had originally been "created for him and thanks to his efforts." Somewhat ironically, despite his indication he wished to ride for the Astana team now run by Bruyneel, by July 2009 he was at odds with Bruyneel and the new Astana team. He suggested that, if Bruyneel did not want him on the team, it would be Bruyneel that would be leaving (21).
Despite having one year left on his contract, Bruyneel was permitted to leave. Thereafter, many Astana riders, including Armstrong, Levi Leipheimer, Yaroslav Popovych and Chechu Rubiera, among others, left Astana for the Radio Shack team (22).
In November 2010, Italian police raided the home of Popvych, a team-mate of Armstrong on the Discovery Channel team from 2005 to 2007. Popovych was also a team-mate of Armstrong on Astana in 2009. The police discovered performance-enhancing drugs and documents, including e-mails, which linked Armstrong to Dr. Ferrari as recently as 2009, despite the fact Armstrong had ostensibly 'severed' ties with Dr. Ferrari in 2004 (23).
It was further reported that Armstrong met with Dr. Ferrari several times in the years between 2004 and 2009 and, in particular, met with him prior to the 2009 Tour de France (24).
Numerous riders have had an association with Dr. Ferrari and other allegations of the use of performance-enhancing drugs have surfaced. These further allegations will be the subject of a future blog; the information noted above, though, does cast a cloud over the practices of Dr. Ferrari and of Armstrong's association with him.
Notes:
(1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Ferrari
(2) http://books.google.com/books?id=M8UDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
(3) http://books.google.com/books?id=M8UDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
(4) http://books.google.com/books?id=M8UDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
(5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francesco_Moser
(7) http://books.google.com/books?id=M8UDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
(8) http://velonews.competitor.com/2001/07/news/armstrong-says-ferrari-relationship-proper-2_1093?refresh=1
(9) http://velonews.competitor.com/2001/07/news/armstrong-says-ferrari-relationship-proper-2_1093?refresh=1
(10) http://velonews.competitor.com/2001/07/news/armstrong-says-ferrari-relationship-proper-2_1093?refresh=1
(11) http://velonews.competitor.com/2001/07/news/armstrong-says-ferrari-relationship-proper-2_1093?refresh=1
(12) http://books.google.com/books?id=M8UDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
(13) http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news/2002/feb02/feb13news.php
(14) http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news/2002/feb02/feb13news.php
(15) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michele_Ferrari
(16) ttp://books.google.com/books?id=M8UDAAAAMBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
(17) http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vino-tells-of-ferrari-link
(18) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Vinokourov
(19) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Vinokourov
(20) http://www.bicycle.net/2008/disgraced-vinokourov-looks-to-join-up-with-armstrong-at-team-astana
(21) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astana_(cycling_team)#Vinokourov_versus_Bruyneel
(22) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astana_(cycling_team)#Vinokourov_versus_Bruyneel
(23) http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/more/01/18/lance.armstrong/index.html?eref=sihp
(24) http://www.usatoday.com/sports/cycling/2011-04-26-lance-armstrong-michele-ferrari-investigation_N.htm
(25)
No comments:
Post a Comment