As he awaits the outcome of a crucial Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling which will determine whether or not he can take place in the Olympic Games, Scottish rider David Millar has called for a greater amount of testing to be done in the months before London 2012.
“For drugs such as HGH and EPO, the window for using them is in the preparation phase, not actually during the Games or just before them,” he said as warning, speaking to the Telegraph.
“They are hormonal-based which aims to make your body stronger to perform and you would be doing it in the two months beforehand, with the idea then to rest up and have a clean system going into the Games. That's how it works.
“The testing during the Games is a fantastic deterrent but it's a pretty stupid athlete who would be using drugs during the Games.”
In addition to ensuring that enough testing is done, Millar wants the International Olympics Committee to ensure that all of the countries involved will play their part. He says there’s little point in some countries doing good work in this area if others don’t take the same responsibilities.
“UK Anti-Doping are on top of it and we want the British team to be the cleanest team in the Olympics but what about all the smaller nations?” he asked.
Millar accepted that some countries have less funding for anti-doping measures, but he said that the IOC should perhaps contribute funding where necessary in order to ensure that there is a level playing field.
The Garmin Barracuda rider is currently unable to take part in the Games as the British Olympic Association has a lifetime ban in place for any athlete with a serious doping violation in their past.
In 2004, Millar admitted using EPO after a syringe containing the substance was discovered in his then-apartment in Biarritz. He was given a two year ban, returning then and speaking out against drug use.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport is due to rule this month on a WADA appeal against the BOA. The World Anti Doping Agency is arguing that penalties must be equal across different countries, and that it is not acceptable for some countries to have tougher sanctions than others.
Expectations are growing that the BOA could lose the case. If that does indeed happen, then the Scot would be a likely addition to the team, particularly after the strong role he played last autumn in helping Mark Cavendish take the world title.