There are already a number of cyclists caught using performance enhancing substances and all of them received stiff sanctions from the sport. The case of Tyler Hamilton, Ricardo Ricco, Annalisa Cucinotta and Floyd Landis are examples that doping in the sport of cycling is dealt with seriously. The UCI and WADA have implemented tighter anti-doping policies in the past few years to catch cheating athletes. However, the latest controversy surrounding the seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong is putting some doubts on the effectiveness of regulatory agencies to catch doping athletes.

The allegation that Lance Armstrong has been using the blood boosting EPO for many years without being detected is something that should be taken seriously by the anti-doping authorities. Landis also alleged that the entire US Postal Service team was involved in a planned and systematic doping where blood transfusions are being done before competitions. The credibility of the cycling union is also at stake here when Landis alleged that Armstrong and his manager were able to bribed one of the union official to withhold a positive test for EPO.

The initiative of the US FDA to look into the doping allegation against Lance Armstrong and his possible involvement with other illegal transactions is a good move. This will help uncover problems in the UCI and other sporting organizations. The result of the investigation could improve the current regulations of the anti-doping authorities. And the most important thing is to punish those people who tarnished the sport of cycling for their personal gains. If Lance Armstrong is guilty, he should be sanctioned for his offense just like other cyclists who were banned for at least 2 years for doping.

The head of the World Anti-Doping Agency or WADA also welcomed the investigation on Armstrong. David Howman said that it is a significant inquiry. “The indications I have is that that significance is not going away. Therefore it’s of great importance,” he said. It is an important move to curtail doping in the sport and will benefit the countries who are involved in the controversy.

Although the investigation is on its infancy stage, Howman predicted that it could take years before the issue can be resolved. He even cited as an example the BALCO investigation. The inquiry on the alleged doping of Armstrong and the US Postal Service team is headed by Jeff Novitsky, the same person who spearheaded the BALCO investigation. “This is one where I would hope that it proceeds in a way that the evidence is gathered fully and properly and therefore less haste. I know that it’s going to take many months, it’s not going to take days. We might be talking about this still in 2016,” Howman told the Press Association Sport.

WADA is helping the FDA but have no direct role in the investigation. “The role that we play is one of facilitation. We are not primarily involved in the inquiry, we don’t have investigators, we don’t have the power to conduct the actual investigation ourselves,” said the WADA chief. Reports showed that the Interpol and other European anti-doping agencies were contacted to provide more information on the doping allegations. “What we can do with the links that we have is to ensure that those who do have the jurisdiction and the power, starting of course with those who have initiated this in the United States, can link with others who have similar powers in other countries,” Howman added.

Lance Armstrong already hinted that this year’s Tour de France would be his last. His retirement from the sport may not be a happy ending because of the possible charges that will be filed against him once the inquiry gathered concrete evidences on his EPO use, purchase of controlled substances and alleged fraudulent transactions. Armstrong maintained his stand that he never used any performance enhancing drugs to win his titles. Though, the Examiner.com published an excerpt of his book “It’s not about the bike: my journey back to life” that he admitted to using EPO. “During the third cycle [of chemotherapy], my hematocrit–the percentage of total blood volume flowing through my body–fell to less than 25, and the normal count is 46. Ironically, I was given a red blood cell booster called Epogen (EPO)…It was the only thing that kept me alive,” Armstrong explained in his book.

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