UNCP head Chanteur says cyclists are men, not guinea pigs
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The peloton at the GP Ouest France in Plouay(Image credit: Fabrice Lambert)
The French flag flies over the peloton.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
John Fahey (right) with former WADA President Dick Pound(Image credit: AFP)
The French professional cyclists’ union (UNCP) has voiced its opposition to the introduction of night time anti-doping testing during races and called for an end to riders being treated as “guinea pigs.”
A recently released report by independent observers from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on drug testing at the 2010 Tour de France recommended night time controls as a possible improvement to current testing procedures. The UNCP has announced that it is firmly opposed to such a measure.
“While reaffirming our agreement with anti-doping policy, we also ask you to leave us in peace a little, if only to sleep at night,” UNCP president Pascal Chanteur said. “If WADA were to persevere in its intention to have random tests at night, it would meet the resistance of riders. There is a limit to everything, especially to indecency.”
Former professional Chanteur explained that his organisation felt that night time testing would be a step too far, given that riders already “voluntarily submit themselves to strict medical monitoring, a biological passport and unannounced tests which mean they must be available at any times.”
“The riders are fed up of being considered as highwaymen who are presumed guilty,” he continued. “They are above all men and not just guinea pigs.”
Barry Ryan was Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
