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USADA: Arrogant Execution

12 Jul 2012

About 3 weeks ago the news of a procedure initiated by USADA with regards to doping facts in the teams which Lance Armstrong rode for appeared on the web and media. 

This would be a "conspiracy" which was carried on by 6 people: Armstrong, Bruyneel, two team doctors (Celaya and Del Moral), a trainer (Marti) and an external consultant (Michele Ferrari). 

As of today, I personally have NOT received any official communication concerning a USADA case against me. 

I am now learning from the media that the USADA has issued a "lifetime ban" against the undersigned, Del Moral and Martí; moreover, it appears the parties have also accepted this punishment! 

With regards to the false and ridiculous accusations that I learned from the press and the media: 

- "Oil with testosterone": the presumption that olive oil may somehow facilitate or conceal the use of testosterone by athletes is a statement which is simply risible and that any endocrinologist will promptly deny. 
This is an old "legend" that has circulated for years in the peloton, a sort of magical mixture to fantasize over while sipping a beer (maybe more than one ...); 

- "Intravenous EPO": the knowledge that intravenous administration would allow a more rapid elimination can be compared to reinventing the wheel. 
It is well known ever since the appearance of rhEPO (late 80s) that the half-life (elimination) of the drug administered intravenously is approximately 5 hours, compared to the 20-25 hours with subcutaneous administration: this information appears on the therapeutic indications booklet inside the package. Surely there was no need for Dr. Ferrari to advise on what everyone already knew; 

- I have NEVER witnessed any kind of doping practices taking place within the USPS team: I never went to races and at the team training camps I have attended, I was simply performing functional testing and making training programs; 

- with regards to the alleged testimonies of riders, some were infamous protagonists of unfortunate events and documented lies; the others probably are those "semi-Champions" who chose to dope, chasing dreams of glory and money or just for envy, organizing it all themselves for their own sake.

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