It is a name few will be sorry to see leave the sport. Today, the UCI announced that Oscar Sevilla has been banned for testing positive for HES. The presence of the chemical in an in-competition sample collection, links the athlete to illegal blood manipulation. The Adverse Analytical Finding of Hydroxyethyl starch in a urine sample collected from him at the Vuelta a Colombia on 15 August 2010, where he finished second.
Even fewer will be surprised at the UCI statement when you look at the past teams he raced with during his career: at Phonak in support of Tyler Hamilton, as a joint leader at T-Mobile with Jan Ullrich before finally falling into Rock Racing where team owner Michael Ball cared no more for the integrity and health of his athletes than he did for the reputation of the sport.
Seville was also deeply associated with the Operación Puerto doping case, where in 2006 he and Ullrich were not allowed to start the 2006 Tour de France. On 20 July 2006, Oscar Sevilla was fired from T-Mobile in relation to the aforementioned accusations.
But life could have been different for the Spanish fallen star. Winning the White jersey at the 2001 Tour de France, showed he had proven talent and the world was his for the taking. Was it the system, where doping was commonplace at the time that destroyed his career? We will never know what made Sevilla first give into temptation and cheat his fellow professional riders and his fans.
The Vuelta a Colombia race where Sevilla was caught, is a fifteen-stage race that is regarded as one of the toughest races in cycling. The mountain passes that the peloton encounters are hundreds of meters higher than any of the passes used in the Tour de France and blood doping would have given him a huge advantage in the thin air.
Oscar’s career could have been so different, without the temptation or encouragement to cheat he could have been a hero. It is hoped that the sport has moved forward and new riders with talent like the young Oscar once was, can have a career filled with natural victories, not scandal and shame.
Comments
Robert Marcinko 20.09.2010 at 01:52pm
Jonathan cheated and left me off the podium by seconds at Fitchburg in 2007 just before his cycling career took off. He owes me more than he could possibly pay, not just the prize money, and deserved to be banned from cycling. once you dope, you should be out, period.
Bikepure NY 17.09.2010 at 10:26pm
Jonathan Chodroff has admitted to buying and using erythropoietin (EPO) in early 2007 and has been given a two-year sanction by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency .
Tom 17.09.2010 at 08:45pm
Forget all the damage in the past, even in the race he was caught there were young amateur riders getting a kicking from the cheat. Disheartening
Buzz 17.09.2010 at 08:31pm
NOT missing you already Sevilla... Another fraud is found out. Good news.
Dave Lloyd 17.09.2010 at 06:19pm
That's great .. I hope I never hear about or see anything from this cheat again.. this is the biggest problem .. When you ask when did he start.. That's the thing about this whole subjuct,,,, When did any of them start. When did Pantani start, when did Rijs start, when did Ullrich start, when did Dave Miller start... That's why I absolutely insist they ought to BAN FOR LIFE.. At least we know then when they flipping STOP !!!
Gerry 17.09.2010 at 06:09pm
Another one bites the dust! Leaves room for one more clean rider in the peloton.
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