Lance Armstrong will be taking the race course in Australia. He is on  a challenging preparation as he competes for the Race Down Under happening later this week. Was he able to set up his state of the art anti-doping system?

Armstrong admits there are real dangers in starting off his comeback in such criteria as the Cancer Council Classic in Adelaide, wherein the pace will reach breakneck speed on a tight inner city circuit. However, he is also wary about the racing style he’d be confronting at this criterion where the field will race 30 laps of a 1.7 km circuit, totaling 51 km around Rymill Park in Adelaide.

Moreover, Armstrong also discussed the doping program which he has designed. He confirmed that the independent anti-doping program which will be run specifically by the American expert Don Catlin is now in place. Armstrong has been tested in and out of competitions 12 times since he announced his comeback last September, two of which in Adelaide. He also claimed that Catlin’s program will start with the Tour Down Under.

According to him, it is already formalized and underway. Armstrong also believed that it is the most comprehensive anti-doping plan in the history of sports. He seems very proud of it, but Armstrong also stated that if anyone has any query on any performance this year, he hopes the anti-doping program can answer some of those questions.

Though it sounded like there seems to have been logistics problems, Armstrong maintained that is was a bit complicated due to the huge number of people and agencies involved. He explained that Don Catlin has 12 anti-doping controls outside the competition and he would challenge anybody else to present to him 12 anti-doping controls in the past couple of months. Armstrong also explained that delays in getting the anti-doping programs up and running is that everybody is getting psyched up and getting everyone together.

Tour down Under, planned with Hundreds of drug tests

More than 200 doping tests will be made at the Tour Down Under, and some riders may be tested up to three times a day. Riders, including seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong who will be making his comeback after a 3-year retirement, are required to provide blood samples before the event.

According to Federal Sports Minister Kate Ellis, each athlete competing for the Tour Down Under will be tested. She further said that they are implementing world-best practices to protect the integrity of the country’s premier cycling event.

The testing system will comprise of the blood profiling of each rider as part of the international cycling biological passport program.

Throughout the race, blood and urine samples will also be taken as well as screening for erythropoietin (EPO), including the new CERA variant detected in four riders after Tour de France last year.

Aside from that, check for human growth hormones while selected blood and urine samples will be kept in deep-freeze facility operated but the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) up to eight years. These samples could be thawed anytime and re-examined using whatever new testing method is developed.

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