Blood Testers strike againFour riders were banned from the Giro d'Italia on Wednesday after failing random blood tests. Ukraine's Vladimir Poulnikov, Frenchman Thierry Laurent and Italians Marco Gili and Roberto Moretti were declared medically unfit to continue the race because their red blood cell count was too high, officials said.The controllers of the UCI visit the riders ot the teams Festina (Laurent), Kross (Pulnikov, Moretti and Gili) and Scrigno before the start of the 11th stage in the Giro. International Cycling Union (UCI) president Michel Riviere said blood samples had been taken from 19 riders before the start of Wednesday's 159-km stage. Poulnikov, Gili and Moretti were all from the same Kross team. Poulnikov was the highest-placed of those banned at 21st overall, 5.22 seconds behind Giro leader Pavel Tonkov of Russia. The UCI introduced blood tests in Janaury to help combat the use of EPO (erythropoietin) and injectable blood-doping substances that stimulate altitude training by increasing the number of oxygen-rich red blood cells. If a test shows a rider's oxygen-carrying capacity in his blood is above 50 percent he is considered unfit to race and is automatically suspended. |