South African national road champion Robbie Hunter (Garmin-Sharp) has spoken out about David George’s positive test for EPO. Cycling SA yesterday revealed the positive result, which occurred during an out of competition test in August of this year.
Hunter was speaking to Ballz Radio and said that he was angry over the matter. “It just goes to show how short minded and possibly how stupid some people are, if you know that there’s that much going down and people giving testimony of what’s gone on in the sport,” he said, referring to the USADA investigation into Lance Armstrong.
“[Former dopers] are now talking to the people who are doing the testing. The testing has caught up to the guys who are trying to cheat…I wouldn’t say there’s a level playing field but the testers are right there, they know what’s happening and how the guys are [doping] and getting away with it.
“If the kingpin [Armstrong] has now been caught and so many high profile people have spoken about it, how a guy like David George thinks he’s going to get away with it is stupid.”
Hunter went on to say that it is sad for the sport that everyone gets painted with the same brush. He argued that there are many riders who are trying to move cycling forward, and lambasted “selfish” people who are just in it for personal gain.
Hunter further called George’s performance enhancing while racing the mountain bike circuit in South Africa “poor”.
The 36 year old concluded by saying he would support a truth and reconciliation tribunal in order to move the sport forward and get rid of those still trying to use performance-enhancing drugs.
He tweeted yesterday about the situation, saying that a ’15 year time bomb just went bang.’
Both riders competed with the Barloworld team but their stints there didn’t overlap. George raced with the squad between 2003 and 2005, while Hunter was there between 2007 and 2009.
He will race for the Garmin-Sharp team in 2013. As for George, he has admitted the use of EPO and is facing a lengthy suspension.