Holding a press conference today in Paris to speak about the modified application of the Biological Passport, the UCI has repeated previous assertions that the setup has changed the sport for the better, and said that a total of 4006 samples had been taken from the start of the season until the end of May.
“The Biological Passport is still in its beginnings and is continually improving,” said UCI Medical Adviser Dr Mario Zorzoli. “In addition, its dissuasive effect has largely contributed to a noticeable modification of the physiological parameters that we have observed within the peloton.”
The passport was introduced in 2008 following a number of high profile doping cases such as the Operación Puerto, Floyd Landis and Michael Rasmussen affairs. It underwent an important modification at the start of the year when a change in administration of the anti-doping method saw the Athlete Passport Management Unit (APMU) of the Lausanne Anti-doping Laboratory (LAD) take over the running.
This followed the recommendations of the World Anti-Doping Agency which advocated the change. However that switch led to one modification which has come under some questioning, as previous biological passport panel member Michael Ashenden outlined to VeloNationearlier this year.
The Australian said that the APMU had introduced an extra clause to WADA’s contract for those who sit on such panels, dictating that they must observe a confidentiality agreement which will last for eight years.
Ashenden, who has a reputation for speaking openly about the anti-doping system, refused to sign the agreement and said that he considered the additional clause to be counterproductive and restrictive, and potentially furthered omerta.
“My resignation is about this confidentiality clause as I don’t agree with it,” he told VeloNation in April. The other experts on the panel have had to sign the agreement, and are therefore restricted in what they can say.
It has been a considerable length of time since the last biological passport case was brought forward and while many wondered if today’s press conference would present cases, this did not materialise. Instead, the presentation dealt with the current state of the passport and how those concerned felt it was changing the sport.
While the system has led to questions, the biggest being why there haven’t been any cases in so long, UCI President Pat McQuaid stressed what he said were clear benefits. “Not only has the Biological Passport greatly improved our ability to target athletes who may cheat, but – even more importantly – it has visibly transformed the behaviour of the riders. The teams are now adopting a sound scientific and physiological approach, which is a far cry from what we experienced in the EPO era,” he said.
The UCI’s Cycling Anti-doping Foundation (CADF) director Dr Francesca Rossi said that testing has improved considerably, and that in-depth studies are being done in relation to micro-dosing. Riders such as Thomas Frei previously stated that it was possible to evade some of the tests by taking minute quantities of EPO and drinking water to ensure that the traces were diluted beyond detection.
Further fine-tuning of the passport had been emphasised as essential in order to stay ahead of riders and doctors who would look to sidestep the controls.