First, I want to say thanks to so many of you who wrote with your similar concerns about the UCI drug testing process and procedures. The current doping control testing measures are a farce and a disaster, and suffer from the worst kind of Group Think and political CYA by the UCI and WADA.

Any dissenting scientific opinions or recommendations are dismissed by the UCI in statements such as this about Roberto Heras: “The regrettable context of suspicion and distrust created around this affair, which will once again have provoked very negative consequences for the image of the cycling, is only the will of a number to discredit, in a totally unacceptable way, the reliability of the most important tool with which the UCI, as first International Federation in the world to be equipped within the framework of its commitment against doping and this already in 2001." The UCI is totally ignoring and degrading valid questions, concerns and suggestions by renown scientists with impeccable reputations. Honest protests by clean riders are labeled as attempts to discredit the testing process...

In case you didn’t read Chief Editor Dr. Jeff Jones’ article in Cyclingnews.com on September 23, 2005, entitled Serious Concerns Over Urinary EPO Test, I urge you to read the entire article. Here are some excerpts:

Chief Online Editor Dr Jeff Jones' recent report titled: "Serious concerns over urinary EPO test" stemmed from the three recent cases in the endurance sport of triathlon, where scientists defending Rutger Beke, Virginia Berasategui and Ibán Rodríguez were able to prove to test for artificial or recombinant EPO (rEPO) could lead to false positives.

In early 2002, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) called for the urinary EPO test to undergo an independent review, whose experts recommended seven points of improvement, ranging from the assessment of the urine samples prior to analysis to a new approach for the interpretation of the scanned EPO profiles, as well as the use of more appropriate testing materials.

The experts asked to review the test, Drs. Gabriel Peltre and Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Thormann, also noted stress-induced activity can lead to proteinuria, where the body can naturally excrete proteins that would yield a positive test - which lead to the three aforementioned triathletes having their cases dropped. Furthermore, the doctors noted the use of an antibody that is non-specific for rEPO identification - that is, other proteins in the sample could be identified.

The highly politicized UCI has all the power over the riders. UCI’s pompous pronouncements, combined with unassailable and self-serving guilty verdicts are blasted all over the media, with never a smidgeon of a doubt on their part as to the reliability of their testing. The goal of the UCI is to sell their testing process and the “battle against EPO” without regard to any errors or injustices, or destruction of careers and reputations along the way.

A disgrace, a disaster, and a deadly farce....

The photo of Roberto Heras is one I took at the 2003 Tour de France.