The UCI has given reassurances following unconfirmed reports that no anti-doping testing will be done on today’s opening stage of the Vuelta España, saying that samples will indeed be taken.
Rumours began yesterday, one day before the race start, with some suggesting that testing was to be put on hold due to the late hour of the team time trial in Seville. The first squad is off at 10.04 pm, with the final team set to finish after 11.30pm.
The line of reasoning was that riders would already be returning to their hotels very late at night, and that further delays would make things even more difficult.
Inquiries about this to the Vuelta a España organisation went unanswered. However UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani said that those initial suggestions were not correct, and that some samples would be taken and analysed.
“I have spoken with our in-competition testing manager and she confirmed to me that it doesn’t matter what time the race will be over, that they will do the tests,” he told VeloNation today.
“After the teams start, they will start testing a few athletes who are not amongst the last ones. But the winner will also be tested.”
It is unclear if he meant all riders from the winning team, or just the one who gets to wear the first red jersey of race leader.
Earlier, WADA had said that any cancellation of testing due to the nighttime running of an event would be have been counterproductive. It was responding to a theoretical question about the implications for a sport if the riders had indeed been told that there would be no testing.
“It would be highly unusual and counterproductive to inform athletes of the absence of testing following a stage or a competition,” said director general David Howman. “Such “warning” would remove the deterrent effect of testing and might encourage those who want to abuse the system to do so. One would hope such loopholes do not exist in any competition.”