Or … The Little Blue Pill Strikes Again
Hard to believe that it’s been almost ten years since the Festina scandal rocked the 1998 Tour de France, as well as the whole world of professional cycling. Even at this great distance, sports in general (and cycling in particular) are still being affected by the fallout. Despite all the efforts to curb the use of performance-enhancing drugs over the last decade, scandals have continued to rock the sport of cycling with alarming regularity.
Today, a story (pointed out by both Luc and Bill Hue in comments to the previous post) is emerging that bears a striking resemblance to the beginning of the mother of all doping scandals. Willy Voet, as you may recall, was busted at a border crossing between Belgium and France driving a veritable doping pharmacy on wheels intended to give the Festina cycling team a boost during the 1998 Tour. Over the following weeks and months, the full impact and import of the single arrest played out. Much has been written about that event and the changes (or not) that it wrought on the world of cycling.
Details of what happened in Italy are sketchy at the moment, but the Italian cycling publication TuttobiciWeb.it (quoting an article from La Gazzetta dello Sport) seems to offer the most detail about what the authorities found when they searched a car driven by the father of professional cyclist Andrea Moletta. And what a story it is. Here’s a tidied up version of what it says:
Andrea Moletta, number 96 in the Giro, has been expelled from the race by his team, Gerolsteiner. As part of an investigation by the prosecutor of Padua into trafficking in doping substances at gyms in the area, the Guardia di Finanza searched a Mercedes, finding a refrigerator with products suspicion.In the car at the time of the search were Natalino Moletta, the professional cyclist’s father and amateur sports director Fulvio Miotti. Authorities found syringes hidden inside tubes of toothpaste, with substances to be examined, and 82 tablets of Viagra, which has a vasodilator effect. According to investigators products in the refrigerator were intended for use in the Giro d’Italia.
Gerolsteiner officials learned about the search late Tuesday, and upon hearing the news they immediately suspended Andrea Moletta.
OK, mysterious syringes hidden in toothpaste I can figure out. That sounds suspiciously like EPO. We’ll have to wait and see what it turn out to be, but if you’re guessing blood-doping via syringe, you’re probably on the right track. But Viagra?
Yeah, sure it’s a vasodilator — we all know what it’s really used for. And the thought of some poor sap riding — no racing — while experiencing the side effects (remember those TV ads, the ones that say, “if the effect lasts for more than four hours seek immediate medical attention”?) just makes me cringe.
Maybe they need those pills because after 6 or 8 hours in the saddle, the riders need a bit of a pick-me-up in order to … well, you know … get back in the saddle again. Whatever the case, this brings new meaning to the phrase “performance-enhancement” when it comes to professional cycling.
There’s a bit missing to the various versions of the story that I’ve seen on the web today, and that is the leap from searching a car driven by Moletta’s father and giving junior the boot (at least from the Giro, it’s not clear whether Gerolsteiner will give Andrea the complete heave-ho). It seems logical that there might be a connection, but one shouldn’t be suspending a rider just because of a logical assumption. I just keep thinking that there’s something we’re not being told.
And given the amount of the drugs found (80+ tablets of Viagra?) — that’s enough to supply the entire Gerolsteiner squad for the entire Giro and then some, I suspect. What on earth was pops up to, anyway? Scratch that, I don’t really want to know. I’m guessing the Viagra wasn’t for the elder Moletta or Fulvio Miotti, either.
There seems to be a lot missing from the story, at least the English-language versions. The parallel to the Festina case makes me wonder: Did Gerolsteiner pull young Moletta from the race to shift attention away from the obvious question? Who else were those drugs meant for? Were they for the Gerolsteiner squad, or were they meant for Fulvio Miotti amateur team? It just seems like they were transporting way too much just for one rider.
Whatever the case, this story is bigger than a couple of guys getting stopped in a car carrying drugs — even if the drugs were, as we’re led to believe, headed for the Giro. Whatever the true extent of this story is, it will be some time before all the facts are known. In the meantime, I’m sure that any number of comedians are going to have a field day with this little episode.
Update: Laura Weislo, at CyclingNews.com, has an article in today’s First Edition Cycling News that explains one potential use of Viagra for doping. Apparently, for some people, it can help them perform (athletically and otherwise) in high altitude conditions. Who’d’a’ thunk?
Reminds me of that commercial:
VIVA VIAGRA, VIVA VIA-GRA, VIVA, VIVA, VIA-GRA !!!!!
And I like the idea of the syringe hidden in the toothpaste. Maybe you get a faster woodie if you inject???
Rant,
It may be as you say – but from what I read:
“As part of an investigation by the prosecutor of Padua into trafficking in doping substances at gyms in the area, the Guardia di Finanza searched a Mercedes, finding a refrigerator with suspicious products .”
Was the Mercedes the property of Mr Natalino Moletta? Or was it the property of Mr Fulvio Miotti?
Was Natalino Moletta “buying or selling?”
If the Mercedes was the property of Fulvio Miotti – then Natalino Moletta was “buying.”
Naturally if it was Molettas’ Mercedes – then what was in it was “his” and he was “dealing.”
BUT if it was Miottis’ – then Moletta was “buying.”
It seems that what is stated – is that – “Natalino Moletta, the professional cyclist’s father” – got caught in a surveillance sting of a gym in Padua.
When he was “busted” – he was IN THE CAR – with an amateur sports director – Mr Fulvio Miotti. — Sounds very much like there was a “buy going down and the Guardia di Finanza – busted it.
I am not trying to stick up for Andrea Moletta, number 96 in the Giro, BUT ask the question: Is Moletta being yanked due to his fathers bust? This is “guilt by association” – he may very well be guilty – but wouldn’t this have to be “proved” before we accuse? – As you say – there are great gaps in the information we have available.
There also seems to be conclusions drawn that the “entire car load of Viagra + syringes in toothpaste tubes” – was for Gerolsteiner…I am also NOT TRYING TO STICK UP for Gerolsteiner – but it must be said that this is nothing but an “assumption” – actually more like an “inference.”
Now – it is natural – perhaps to “assume” that if the Father is “buying” then it is for his son. But we do not know this – not from the account we have so far. Hey – Moletta might be buying for his son – or for the ENTIRE TEAM – but isn’t this an “assumption” or more like “conjecture?”
So what have we?
“Andrea Moletta, number 96 in the Giro, has been expelled from the race by his team, Gerolsteiner.” — Gerolsteiner HAS TO yank Moletta – but this is due to the “strict liability” rule – which in this case clearly supersedes “guilty – when proven guilty” – it is Gerolsteiners’ only hope to stay in the cycling world now. As it is – Holzer is right now – “packing his bags” and kissing his “sponsors good bye!”
So what I see – there is another “old Team” that has been snuffed – Never mind that it is because assumptions and innuendo was “publicly made:”
RULES!? – Hell – we don’t need no stinkin’ rules…
Fascinating – like looking at a train wreck – or a “warmit eating itself from the inside out!”
Maybe Moletta was expecting to win a stage and was concerned about the photo op on the stage with the podium girls. This is almost too funny to take seriously. Rant, have you heard of Viagra being used as a performance enhancer? I mean in sport. Real sport. The vision of a cyclist pedalling on Viagra is too much to bear (bare?). Reminds me of a friend’s brother phoning him after he had taken Viagra and imploring “how do you make it stop?”.
Morgan,
It’s all vague, isn’t it? Who was buying what from whom? For that matter, who was driving and who was the passenger? Where were they really headed? I have visions of these two guys in a buddy movie, headed up to some retirement village and selling the Viagra to the highest bidder.
Got to give them credit, though. They were stylin’ in that Benz. The way the stories have been told (at least in the English-language media), it sounds like young Moletta may be a victim of guilt by association. Next thing we’ll find out is that the stuff in the tubes was Cialis, so that the riders could perform “when the time was right.” 😉
luc,
That phone call sounds all too real — and terribly funny (well, except for the “victim”).
Question for Larry or Judge Hue: I know that basically, conspiracy involves 2 or more people planning to commit a crime and at least one of them committing an overt act in furtherance of the crime, but what sort of evidence is necessary to connect other members of the alleged conspiracy with the over act?
What we have here is almost certainly a conspiracy, with the 2 gentlemen in the Benzer committing the overt act. But, unless they themselves were planning one big party, there certainly are others involved. Gerolsteiner as a whole, Moletta only, or the amateur team the other guy was DS of? Or maybe none of the above: just because the one or the other guys hauling the drugs have connections to cycling teams doesn’t necessarily mean they were hauling the stuff for the benefit of those teams and/or individual riders. Maybe they were just involved in the drug trafficking at Padovan gyms and the stuff was just for the local gym rats?
Anyway, that son was an intended user is one possible inference, but not the only one, based on what we know.
Mostly OT, but on the subject of pseudo-bizarre doping practices – how about water?
“Advanced Hydration Technology (AHT) water has a FASTER DIFFUSION RATE than ordinary water…(t)he process locks supplemental oxygen in the molecular structure of AHT. Because it is literally part of the water, the additional oxygen can be processed into your bloodstream by your digestive system. It effectively maximizes blood oxygen levels and, as a result, helps maximize oxygen delivery to every part of your body.”
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/newscripts/86/8617newscripts.html
Leaving aside pegging the ol’ BS-meter…how does one screen for that?!? 🙂
Well, based on my somewhat limited knowledge of chemistry, I strongly suspect that the only instrument needed for AHT is indeed the BS meter, and as far as I know, BS is not on the WADA prohibited list.
However, what I think we might need to worry about is WADA picking up something like this and putting it on the prohibited list, then busting athletes for some connection to it. Whether or not it is possible for someone to determine that I just clicked on the link above in Chris’ post, there are certainly ways in which someone who perhaps innocently visits a website, sends an email or snail mail trying to find out what this is all about. Then the “intent to dope” thing could kick in.
Reminds me of the banana peel thing from the 60s.
Hi Rant,
Just testing to see if there still is a problem sending.
Luc,
Everything appears to be working at the moment. Let’s hope it stays that way.
I don’t think that having 80 viagra pills is necessarily odd. I order mind over the internet and get a quantity discount, so I often order 100 or more at a time. It lasts me quite a long time (no, no, not that way), but it brings the cost per dose down. If having that many at a time is suspicious, there must be millions of suspicious guys buying discount drugs via the internet.
John “Smith”
(and no I’m not going to leave my real name on this for obvious reasons)