Failed drug tests is synonymous to cycling. Since 1998 more than a third of the top finishers of the Tour de France have admitted to using performance- enhancing drugs in their careers or have been officially linked to doping.
The most recent culprit is Vini Fantini- Selle Italia rider Danilo Di Luca, who has been provisionally suspended by the International Cycling Union (ICU) after testing positive for performance- enhancing drugs for the second time in his career. But it was Lance Armstrong, who had found himself at the centre of one of the biggest drugs scandals in sporting history that made the fuss.
In an unsolicited suggestion, Armstrong said the Italian rider Di Luca was ‘stupid’ for failing his own drug test, however, mindful of the fact that he was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles when he failed his. The American, who earlier this year confessed to doping in a television interview with Oprah Winfrey, wrote on Twitter: “Knowing I have 0 cred on the doping issue- I still can’t help but think, ‘really Di Luca? Are you that f****** stupid?’” A surprise doping test carried out at Di Luca’s home on April 29 revealed the presence of erythropoietin in his system. “I wasn’t expecting this. It was a surprise for me. I’m disappointed. I’ll ask for the backup analysis then we can talk again,” Di Luca said in response to the failed drug test. The 37- year- old Italian was previously handed a two- year- ban- later reduced to nine months- after testing positive for CERA during the 2009 edition of Giro d’Italia. A UCI statement read: “The decision to provisionally suspend this rider was made in response to a report from WADA accredited laboratory in Koln indicating an adverse Analytical Finding of EPO in a urine sample collected from him in an out of competition test on April 29 2013. “The provisional suspension of Mr. Danillo Di Luca remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Italian Cycling Federation determines whether he has committed an anti- doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti- Doping Rules. “Mr. Danilo Di Luca has the right to request and attend the analysis of his ‘B’ sample,”
