Ricco confesses to blood transfusion

[swampy1970]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ricco-confesses-to-blood-transfusion

Riccardo Ricco has finally confessed to giving himself a blood transfusion, but claimed it was “done only on medical prescription.” The Italian was hospitalized for kidney failure after apparently using blood which had been stored too long or improperly.

As recently as last month, he denied to the Italian Olympic Committee that his medical problems were caused by an illegal blood transfusion.

Doctors at the hospital claimed that Ricco said his problems resulted from an autologous blood transfusion,which he later denied. Subsequent examinations of his medical records showed hallmarks of an infection caused by the infusion of improperly stored blood

 

[Froze]

This is one of those things again we may never know the real truth just as with Armstrong. Swampy I use to race at a Cat 3 level back in the late 70's to mid 80's and back then at that level of racing I knew guys who were doping and tried to get me to dope. On top of that pressure I was seeing a pro tennis player who also doped and she said I needed to do it too so I could be more competitive! I had a lot of pressure going against me to dope but I never did. And the excuse to dope was everyone else is doing it so in order to level the playing field I had too as well. BS!! Ok, so I never got good enough to go past Cat 3 but that had more to do with the inability to afford a good trainer, or afford a top of line bicycle and equipment, or afford to travel all over the US for races, and time. I was doing well enough in cat 3 that I had I had the money I could have gone up to the next level without doping. Point is I believe without a shadow of a doubt that most if not all the pro racers cheat because it's expected so they can be competitive with those that do. Quite frankly I'm not so sure of myself had I gone to the next level if I could had avoided the drugs...that's how bad it was and that was over 30 years ago. The people that I knew who were doping got it from their coaches and trainers or were sent to "specialists".

Almost any pro sports program cheats, you know football and baseball does; I know tennis does, I knew players because of my girlfriend. Even Golf players do! Woods all but admitted it when he started adding mass on thinking it would improve is long ball game...but the mass has made him less accurate. I knew pro body builders that were doing the same stuff to get bigger.

Competition for a lot of people is a drug, it's addicting, and some get so addicted to it that in order to be the best they'll do whatever it takes to be the best including doping. fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you want to look at it, competition never got that addicting to me where I felt I had to sacrifice my long term health to satisfy my short term goal.

Needless to say when I hear this or that cyclist potentially doped, I'm not the least bit surprised.