POSTED: July 21st 2009
InDepth
Relief for cycling as Tour de France starts to turn the dope-test corner
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT / Sports Features Communications
PARIS: Finally, the Tour de France is starting to win the battle against the dope cheats who have tarnished the reputation of the world’s greatest cycling road race.
This is not a boast from the organisers, who would hardly dare offer such a hostage to fortune after an apparently unstoppable tidal wave of scandals, but an assessment drawn from the words of Christian Prudhomme, the 48-year-old who took over as Tour director in 2006 with a cleansing mission.
The former TV reporter has had many fences to mend so he must have been relieved to hear words of satisfaction from Pierre Boudry, the president of the French anti-doping agency (AFLD).
Boudry said: “Everything is back as it should be.” He meant after concerns the previous week that some officials from the international cycling federation (UCI) had not been firm enough in enforcing some of the regulatory procedures.
Prudhomme, thus far, has not had one positive test to report; his greatest challenge was in dealing with the accident in which a spectator dies after an incident with one of the Tour’s police escorts.
No complacency
As for the doping issue Prudhomme, in an interview with Le Monde, said: “In 2008 I was pleased that we had ‘only’ seven positive tests. I am thrilled that, so far this year, we have had none. I dare to believe that there are fewer dope cheats now among the riders. But that does not mean that we can ever lower our guard.
"What is clear is that the anti-doping ‘arsenal’ is far more powerful nowadays. Apart from the blood passport it’s been crucial to be able to run the Tour, unlike last year, to the terms of a new anti-doping agreement between the AFLD and the UCI.”
Prudhomme refused to comment on the controversy which had clung to American Lance Armstrong after his first Tour win in 1999.
He said: “This may have appeared to have been an issue before the start of the Tour. But in two weeks things have changed. We can see now that the one dominant rider, who won the Tour for seven years then took a three-year break, is not back at quite the same standard as before. So now, between Armstrong and Alberto Contador, it’s like Federer against Nadal at tennis or, here, Anquetil against Poulidor. It’s all good for the story of sport.”
Spaniard Contador remained in possession of the yellow jersey after the 16th stage, from Martigny to Bourg St Maurice. With five stages remaining, he led Armstrong by 1min 37sec after finishing 10th in the Alpine stage. Britain's Bradley Wiggins remained third. The stage was won by Mikel Astarloza.
Keywords · cycling · Tour de France · doping · Prudhomme · Boudry · AFLD · UCI · Contador · Wiggins
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