Bo Berglund, a doctor associated with the Swedish Olympic Committee, told that his idea was not based on any scientific research. The doctor said that nevertheless the riders who take EPO would have shorter lives than the Tour riders in the 1940s and 1950s. He said: "EPO is to endurance sports what anabolic steroids are to sprinting and I can see it as a real threat both to competition and to health, especially cycling."
Another expert, Harm Kuipers from the University of Maastricht said that he was at odds with popular opinion and his research suggested that EPO was not a significant boost to performance. He said: "The way the cyclists performed in the Tour de France could not have come from only taking EPO as most people tend to believe. For sure the riders took EPO but without much of an effect on their performance as the maximum impact it has on an athlete is for 10-15 minutes and when Tour de France stages are between four to six hours it is obviously quite useless."
The President of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alfredo Goyeneche was vocal in his call for harsher penalties on riders who are caught using banned substances. He differentiated, however, between sportspersons who are caught with drugs and drug traffickers. He said it was the failure by French police to make this distinction that led to the withdrawal of Spanish teams in the 1998 Tour de France. He said: "If a sportsman returns a positive test then he should be punished with a suspension, even if a two year suspension means that it ends his career. However, one must not confuse a sports cheat with a drugs trafficker."
The director sportif, Antonio Salutini who has directed the training of Petito, Frigo, Galletti, Secchiari, Pugaci, Guerra, and the Swiss additions to the squad, Laurent Dufaux and Armin Meier was happy with the camp: "We have been able to work in absolute peace and we have not lost a single hour of training. The boys are satisfied. Dufaux and Meier, in particular, have been delighted by the weather conditions during the camp. They have told me that they are very pleased with the feeling they have found in Italy and Tuscany in particular. Petito is now very motivated and wants to get back to the high levels that he had 2 years ago."
The Saeco-Cannondale Team will be united for their presentation in Milan on February 2 at the Center Conferences Milanofiori di Assago. A live connection via video conference with Rome and the Internet is planned.
De Backer said: "It has thus been a good year for the KBWB. This augers well for the future. This summary makes mockery of the cowardly and vicious insinuations that have been made in recent days." He was referring to an interview given by ex-KBWB president Ernest de Vuyst in a newspaper last week which was critical of the Belgian cycling scene.
Also in the relatively new disciplines like MTB racing, the Belgians performed well with a bronze in the World Championships for Roel Paulissen (Under-23) and Filip Meirhaeghe (Elite) and a gold for Rudy De Bie (Masters).
In 1999, the KBWB will further promote MTB racing. The highlight of the season will be the last round of the World Cup Cross Country at Houffalize on September 4-5. And the KBWB hopes to build the image of MTB racing in Belgium at the Belgian Cross Country championships at Thuin on July 21. They are working towards having 50 races on the national calendar each season. In 1999, they are aiming at building the strength and depth of the discipline to prepare for the 2000 Olympics. Technial director Paul Ponnet said they had a sporting plan for 1999-2000 with two major objectives. First the Sydney 2000 games - they want to have the maximum number of riders that are permitted in contention. They have 4 riders - Filip Meirhaeghe, Roel Paulissen, Peter Vanden Abeele (men's division) and Lory Laroy (women's division) who are already contenders. The second part of the plan is to create a national system of training for MTB riders with 2 coaches - José De Cauwer for the elites and Rudy De Bie for the juniors.
Scott and former professinal Stephen Hodge called a meeting during the Mt. Buller Cup earlier this month and 24 riders indicated their support. At the press conference yesterday, the Sunderland said that the riders wanted to examine the way the sport is being promoted and selection policies. They were disgusted by the way the sporting performances of Australian cyclists have been overshadowed by scandals and poor press relations.