Riccardo Ricco

October 2nd, 2008 filed in Cycling

Riccardo Ricco, an Italian Cyclist, was banned for two years by the Italian Olympic Committee on Thursday after admitting to doping during the Tour de France. 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. Ricco was kicked out of the Tour and fired by the Saunier-Duval team after testing positive on July 17. His ban will expire on July 30, 2010.

The Associated Press has more :

Ricco tested positive for CERA, an advanced version of the blood booster EPO. He admitted taking the banned substance and was hoping for a reduced ban. The Italian Olympic body, CONI, reduced the doping part of the ban by six months from the maximum two years. But it also added six months because Ricco had gone to a physician who had already been banned for doping violations, Carlo Santuccione.

“I’m very disappointed and bitter. I expected better understanding,” Ricco said after leaving the hearing. “But I made a mistake and it’s fair that I pay.” Ricco’s lawyers indicated they would likely appeal to the Switzerland-based Court of Arbitration for Sport. The ban will expire on July 30, 2010.

Taken away by French police, the Italian rider was questioned and spent a night in a French jail before being investigated by CONI upon his return to Italy. Former teammate Leonardo Piepoli was also fired by Saunier-Duval, which lost its sponsor. Even though Piepoli did not test positive, he was released for violating the team’s ethical code. Spanish media later reported that Piepoli had admitted to his team that he took the same form of EPO as Ricco. CONI is still investigating Piepoli.

Riccard Ricco CHEATed in the Tour de France
Chester Cheater
Riccardo Ricco, “The Cobra”, has obviously been cheating all season and probably for his entire career. He won 2 stages at the Giro d’Italia, finished 2nd overall and won the best young rider competition. Then he comes to the Tour de France and wins two more stages, and hands a third to his teammate Piepoli. How obvious did it have to be? These guys were both on CERA, and their dominating performances were a direct result. It has been suggested by fellow pro-rider Jerome Pineau that Ricco openly doped even as a junior rider. All of this should come as no surprise if you consider who his idol is, Marco Pantani. “The Pirate” Pantani, won both the Tour and the Giro in 1998. However Pantani’s career was beset by drug abuse allegations, following his failure of a blood test in the 1999 Giro d’Italia. He died of a cocaine overdose in 2004. One can only hope that Ricco doesn’t follow in those footsteps.