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Written by THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
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Monday, 13 October 2008 |
Riccardo Ricco reacts during a press conference on the rest day of the Tour de France. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS/Bas Czerwinski, FILE
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ROME - Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco injected himself with the blood-boosting drug CERA the day before the start of the Tour de France, according to documents released Monday by the Italian Olympic Committee.
Ricco also was in contact since 2007 with a physician who had already been banned for doping violations, according to the documents.
Ricco was banned for two years earlier this month by the Italian Olympic body, CONI, after admitting to doping during the Tour de France.
CONI reduced the doping part of the ban by six months from the maximum two years due to his collaboration, but it also added six months because Ricco had gone to Carlo Santuccione, the physician already banned for life by CONI.
Ricco was first brought into contact with Santuccione by former team director Daniele Tortoli, the documents show.
Ricco met with Santuccione on June 8 and the doctor advised him to take CERA the day before the Tour, saying it could not be traced in anti-doping tests and the effects would kick in a week later, according to the documents.
Ricco won the sixth and ninth stages of the Tour in spectacular fashion - the second victory coming with a long solo breakaway on one of the race's toughest mountain stages, then tested positive July 17.
Ricco also told the court that his teammate Leonardo Piepoli used CERA, although Piepoli later denied it in testimony to CONI. Both riders were fired by the Saunier-Duval team and Piepoli's case with CONI is still pending.
Ricco's lawyers were awaiting the release of the court files before deciding on a possible appeal to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.
New French lab tests have exposed several riders for CERA use at this year's Tour.
On Monday, the head of France's anti-doping agency said Austrian cyclist Bernhard Kohl, who finished third at the Tour, tested positive for CERA. Last week, officials said Piepoli and Stefan Schumacher of Germany had tested positive for the drug.
Ricco finished second in this year's Giro d'Italia and won two stages, but Giro director Angelo Zomegnan is not planning to order any re-tests for CERA.
"My references for the UCI are the CONI lab in Rome and they told me explicitly that if there was CERA during the Giro it would have been found already," Zomegnan told The Associated Press. "It could be that (Ricco) didn't use CERA during the Giro," he said.
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Last Updated ( Monday, 13 October 2008 )
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