Three riders out after failing blood testsThree riders were thrown out of the Paris-Nice race on Monday after failing blood tests, cycling's security and ethics commission said.It said Frenchman Erwan Mentheour and Italians Mauro Santaronita and Luca Colombo were not allowed to start Monday's second stage and had their licences suspended for 15 days. Pre-race tests, introduced to cycling in January, showed abnormally high numbers of red blood cells in the riders' bodies, a sign of the presence of unusual levels of EPO (erythropoietin). Performance-enchancing EPO is a substance that stimulates the production of red blood cells which transport oxygen around the body. The three riders would not get back their licences until they had undergone another blood test at a laboratory in Lausanne accredited by the International Cycling Union (UCI), officials said. Marc Madiot, sporting director of Mentheour's team La Francaise des Jeux, said: ``All my team were tested before the race, they were all negative and therefore authorised to start the race (on Sunday).'' The UCI said in January it was introducing blood tests before races to try to protect the health of riders and curb doping in the sport. Studies have shown that extended use of EPO can thicken the blood and cause heart attack More on the suspension after blood testsThree riders were barred from taking part in the second stage of the Paris-Nice race on Monday after blood tests, to deter EPO use, revealed unusually high haemoglobin levels.EPO, or erythropoietin, a drug produced to treat kidney disease, is used to increase oxygen-carrying red blood cell levels which enhance endurance. Frenchman Erwan Mentheour and Italian pair Luca Colombo and Mauro Santaronita all submitted blood samples which showed red blood cell levels in excess of the 50 percent limit. High red blood cell levels, which thicken the blood, can induce heart attacks and an official statement from the race jury announced that the trio had been "declared temporarily unfit to take part in sport". The three cyclists are the first victims of new International Cycling Union (UCI) rules allowing it to suspend cyclists for two weeks if they fail the test. Haemoglobin tests were introduced at the request of riders at the end of January as part of the fight against the use of EPO in the sport. Mentheour and Colombo submitted samples on Sunday morning but were allowed to take part in the first stage, a 7km time-trial in Paris before UCI president Hein Verbruggen offically okayed the ban. Santaromita's sample was analysed on Monday morning as part of a series of random tests carried out by the UCI-mandated medical team from the Lausanne institute of medecine. "Blood samples are a good way of measuring, even though some things need looking at again," said Mentheour's team manager Marc Madiot. "I have some reservations about the way it happened, but I don't want to get into a discussion about drug abuse. I have a cyclist who has a problem and who cannot race for a fortnight but you shouldn't confuse a blood sample with anti-doping tests. My team is clear." Monday's news follows the announcement six days ago by the International Olympic Committee that it would be holding a forum in April in Lausanne to discuss possible measures to tackle the latest advances in doping. "A lot of nonsense is being talked and we need to get together to find how far we have got in detecting types of drug we fear may have become widely used," said prince Alexandre de Merode, president of the IOC Medical Commission. The Commission highlighted EPO, human growth hormones and salbutamol as the main drugs on their hitlist. Blood tests similar to those used at the Paris-Nice race were carried out at the World Nordic Skiing Championships in Norway two weeks ago, and de Merode said the IOC was on the point of producing a reliable test using urine analysis which may be used at next year's Winter Olympic Games in Nagano, Japan. More on the Blood TestsMauro Santaromita from Team MG, has come out positive at the blood control at Paris- Nice with a hematocrit level of over 50 percent. His team's sport director, Giancarlo Ferreti has said that if it was up to him, he would fire Santaromita. "If the team owner listens to me, Mauro Santaromita will be fired", said Ferretti. "This problem exists, I have never been one to deny that they do. But the cyclists have been the ones requesting this blood control and Santaromita knew that he had to be within the limits". Ferreti says that there's no way that the teams can guarantee any of their riders: "They are all adults and Pros. Cycling works in a certain way, the riders prepare at home. We are not a soccer team where the players are under the doctors eyes everyday".PantaniItalian cyclist Marco Pantani (Mercatone Uno), assured about la Vuelta a Murcia that he came to the competition to test himself. "I wanted to see how my condition was to face the season after my severe injury and the truth is that it has been satisfactory, although it is also true that I didn't push myself to the limit", said Pantani. Pantani who had finished the overall competition in fifth place after losing three places on the time trial and then being disqualified for not using the "Mountain Jersey". "At the (Collado Bermejo a category one) climb on the second day, I knew that if I attacked hard, I could win and finish alone, but I didn't want to force the rhythm and yesterday on the second ascent to Collado Bermejo, I tested myself again, I felt good at all times and I wanted to know how I was in reference with the other stage racers like Alex Zuelle, a good reference point, but I never went all out and I only wanted to calibrate my efforts", assured Marco Pantani. "My objective in coming to Murcia was to test myself and see how I am physically abd after seeing the results, the training will center to being in the best shape possible for my two big objectives this season, the Giro d'Italia and the Tour de France". |