Stephen Roche and drugs

From todays Indo. There's been a fair number of rumours about this over the years, he associated with the wrong doctors (in hindsight) from time to time, but he has consistently maintained his innocence and can claim negative results from every drug test he ever did.


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IRELAND'S Tour de France hero Stephen Roche hit out angrily last night at suggestions by an Italian judge that he had taken performance enhancing drugs during his career.

Roche, who admitted feeling "burnt" by the judge's assertions, responded to the controversy by insisting: "I have never taken performance enhancing drugs whether banned or unbanned, on or off the list, at any time."

"In fact, I underwent hundreds of tests during my career and all were negative," continued Roche, who also won the Giro d'Italia and World Championship in a glittering pro' career.

The issue of drug taking during Roche's career raised its head after the publication this week of an Italian judge's report claiming that Dr Giovanni Grazzi, the doctor for Roche's Carrera team in 1993, had administered EPO to the star members of his team, including Roche.

EPO, a performance enhancing drug which thickens the blood, was not banned until after 1993 but any proof that Roche used the drug even before it was banned would severely damage his reputation.

The report of Judge Franca Oliva added: "One cannot but arrive at the conclusion that Dr Grazzi was effectively involved in the direct dispensing of EPO to (Guido) Bontempi, (Claudio) Chiapucci, (Mario) Chiesa, Roche and (Rolf) Sorenson."

She had also criticised the silence of the athletes involved. "The court was faced with total omerta on the part of the athletes, even in the face of the most obvious and incontrovertible evidence."

Responding to the claims of silence, an indignant Roche stated he "never had a phonecall from anyone asking me was I administered with performance enhancing drugs by Grazzi. I can promise you this." Controversy has also centered on the use of codenames in Grazzi's research which many claim has added a suspicious air of secrecy to the whole affair. In response, Roche said: "I first heard about the issue of codenames on blood samples in 2000."

"The journalist David Walsh raised the issue and when I asked Grazzi about it he told me that there was no point in putting people's real names to the samples because they were being used for experimentation at Ferrara University."

"After my blood was taken from my by Grazzi it was then sent to Ferrara University for tests. After the results came back to me, the university then used the samples for, what I heard was, plasma testing so I have no control over what doctors do to my blood once they have it in a university," explained Roche.

Roche also pointed out that there would have been no question of him using performance enhancing drugs in 1993 as his career was winding down and he had only ridden that year's Tour de France, in which he finished a creditable 13th overall, for "fun".

The judge's summing up followed the trial for doping offences of Profesor Francesco Conconi and his two assistants, Dr Grazzi and Dr Casoni. The trial was the result of a five-year investigation.

Despite the judge's damning conclusion all three defendants were acquitted on what amounted to a technicality because, as a result of the Statute of Limitations, their offences were deemed to have taken place too long ago to attract prosecution.

Among the 33 sport stars named in the court indictment were Maurizio Fondriest, Gianni Bugno, the late Marco Pantani, as well as Olympic skiing champions Silvio Fauner and Manuela De Centa.

Colm O'Donovan