"Once bitten, twice shy," according to the old saying, and this could apply to T-Mobile Team. All riders will be required to undergo a newly developed test which will be able to determine whether the individual has transfused with his own blood. "We will introduce this blood test to the team," said spokesman Christian Frommert. "These measures will be written into the new contracts with riders. In addition, we will prepared a broader internal program, which we we will present the end of August."
The new test, developed by Professor Walter Schmidt of the University of Bayreuth, is based on the inhalation of a very small amount of carbon monoxide, which binds to the haemoglobin in the blood. It involves a breathing apparatus through which the patient inhales an exact amount of CO. A blood sample is taken from the earlobe both before and after the two minute breathing phase, in order to determine the difference in the carbon monoxide levels in the blood.
