Heras claims innocence
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ByEurosport
Published 25/11/2005 at 18:10 GMT
Roberto Heras reiterated his claim of innocence at a press conference on Friday, shortly after his 'B' sample tested positive for EPO. The Liberty Seguros rider is expected to be handed a two-year ban from competition and will not be allowed to sign for o
Eurosport
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"I have never ever taken any doping substances. I didn´t do it on the Vuelta or any other race. I´ve always won cleanly," said the 31-year old at the news conference held in Madrid.
Heras also expressed his doubts about the viability of the method used to detect EPO:
"I can´t admit they blow all my efforts and sacrifices for a mistake (they´re committing). I have to accept the results, but I will challenge them," he promised.
Liberty sports director Manolo Saiz was absolutely distraught by the news: "I am devastated . This is very sad news."
Saiz then revealed that this blow would certainly mean the end of Heras' career: "Above all is the age factor," he said.
"When you get these sort of news, I reckon you do not want to think about cycling anymore.
"I hope he can prove he is innocent in an upcoming future. He can always count on me," Saiz wished.
Saiz also expressed his doubts about the control method:
"Our sport, cycling, is being attacked. There is a lot of pressure lately in antidoping controls, and that is pushing and leading to mistakes when it comes to finding doping substances," Saiz said.
"Maybe in a few years we´ll discover this method is not the right one, but it will be too late to defend all the people that have been sanctioned."
The confirmation on Friday of the offence means that the 31-year-old Spaniard will be stripped of his record-breaking fourth crown in the Vuelta, with victory handed instead to Russian rider Denis Menchov.
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