Dr Michele Ferrari has been given a lifetime ban for doping offences dating back more than a decade, but has called the charges against him ‘false and ridiculous’, claiming he has never witnessed doping within pro cycling teams. In fact to clarify – although this makes things more complicated – the ban was given because: ‘he had not responded to or contested the charges’, whilst the Italian claims he never received any official communication from the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and only learned of their decision from the media. Further confusion comes as cycling’s governing body the UCI claim that Ferrari didn’t even hold a current training license.
Dr Ferrari enjoyed a long and close relationship with Lance Armstrong – the seven-time Tour de France winner calling him ‘a friend and a trusted adviser’ – but all formal links were reportedly broken after Farrari was convicted (though later acquitted) of sporting fraud in 2004. Amongst the ‘new’ charges were that he conspired with two other doctors (Dr. Luis Garcia del Moral and Jose ‘Pepe’ Martí) along with Armstrong to ‘…cheat by trafficking and administering performance enhancing products’ – including the use of olive oil to mask the presence of testosterone. In a statement on his website Ferrari claims that the use of olive oil is purely mythological, stating, ‘This is an old legend that has circulated for years in the peloton, a sort of magical mixture to fantasise over while sipping a beer’
The debacle continues and Cyclo, as always, will keep you posted…
