Only one year?…

Emanuele Sella received his punishment for doping at this year’s Giro ‘d Italia. One year? That’s a slap on the wrist. Maybe it’s just me but if you dope with EPO/CERA, which is a clear form of instant go-juice, and win a race or stage as dominantly as Sella did, the ban should be life-time. This wasn’t the case of a racer trying to juice up just to stay with the pack. This was a case of a racer doping with the clear intent of winning stages. The fact that these racers doped with CERA, which they thought was untraceable, is further evidence that they were thumbing their noses at the racing bodies and their racing brethren, and they need to be treated differently. They need to be banned from racing, working with racing teams, coaching racers, all aspects of racing for life. No exceptions.

This would also mean the handing out of life-time bans to Ricardo Ricco (winner of two stages at the TdF and three at the Giro), Leonardo Piepoli (winner of stage 10 of the TdF), Stefan Shumacher (winner of two TdF stages and a yellow jersey wearer), Bernhard Kohl (winner of the climber’s jersey at the TdF). These guys knowingly doped with the expectation of winning.

I am in agreement with the Gianni Bugno and the Italian cycling association’s letter to the UCI. Ban for life.

(What’s playing: KWMR Wake up West Marin and How to Ram a Car Out of Your Way – seriously! Read about this useful tip here. )