Cycling king Kelly warns of risky test

Irish cycling legend Seán Kelly believes the testing of amateur Irish sportsmen and women is a risky business.

Speaking recently at the Cork Institute of Technology sports bursary awards in Oriel House Hotel, Ballincollig, the four-time Tour de France green jersey winner highlighted the lack of access to doctors as the primary reason why he feels the process is such a fickle one for amateur athletes.

Ever since Michelle De Bruin outdid Our Lord’s miracle at Cana by turning water into uisce beatha — drug testing, and taking, has become a major talking point in Irish sport.

Of course, the seedy side of the issue hit a nerve even more so in Cork in August 2004, when local athlete Cathal Lombard admitted using the banned blood-boosting hormone erythopoientin (EPO).

And somewhere along the way, amateur athletes were threaded into the Irish Sports Council’s anti-doping strategy.

Having dominated the world of cycling in the 80s, a world which is unfortunately tainted by doping scandals on a monthly basis, the Tipperary man, who was once listed as the third greatest road cyclist of all time, can view the bigger picture clearly more than most.

“The problem with amateur sports people being tested is that if they have a cough and take a cough mixture for example, there is always a risk there that there can be a problem.

“At least the riders we work with in Belgium have doctors who they can check out with if something they’re taking, be it vitamins or supplements, has ingredients which could affect test results.”

Having established the Seán Kelly Cycling Academy outside the city of Merchtem in Belgium four years ago, and with a continental team now challenging professionally in division two, Kelly instructs his riders to contact the team doctor whatever the ailment.

“The riders we have, a number of them are carded athletes by the Irish Sports Council, so we’ve had a few out-of-competition tests in 2005.

“Some of the lads were tested in Belgium at the cycling academy, which of course is demanded by the Irish Sports Council.

“We’ve a doctor available to the riders and the riders who come to the academy for short periods of time, and they are on strict orders to visit the doctor if they’re taking vitamins or supplements, or anything at all.

“The doctor has to know about it. And he has to give the ok on whatever it is they are on.

“It’s so easy to take a cough mixture or something for a sore throat and there might be an ingredient in that, that might result in a positive test.

“That’s we’re I’d have some concern as regards amateur drug testing in Ireland — the access of information is a lot more limited for them.”

Among Kelly’s protégés based north of Brussels is 22-year-old Corkman Páidi O’Brien from Banteer, who the Carrick-on-Suir man believes has a very good future ahead of him.

“Páidi is going in to his third year with us and he would be one of our strongest riders.

“He was in France with a club down in Marseilles for a few years before he joined us, but he’s improved every season and if he continues the way he’s going then 2007 could be a very good year for Páidi.”

Paidí started cycling as an 11-year-old with Dan Curtain and the Kanturk Credit Union Cycling Team, before ending up in the hands of a man who won the Tour de France Paris-Nice stage seven years in a row and topped the inaugural UCI World Cup rankings.

Stemming from an idea by Cycling Ireland to foster the sport and re-ignite the nation’s passion for the sport back in the 80s, when Kelly and Stephen Roche paved the way for Lance Armstrong to wear cycling’s yellow shroud, the academy was established.

“It’s been going well and the past few years it has been going better.

“The beginning was difficult of course taking people over, athletes adapting to a different lifestyle and to strains of living as a bike rider and so on.

“We had a continental team competing in the second division in Belgium this year, which is more or less professional.

“It was the first time we had such a team, and the start was difficult, but the second half of the season they did well and next year we should improve that little bit more again.”

There are nine Irish riders in total, including Páidi, who is a member of that prestigious continental outfit, but Kelly has plans to broaden the academy by bringing on board more riders in 2007.

“At the moment, we’re signing riders for next year so I’d say for 2007 we’ll have eight or nine Irish to start out with.

And we’re going to take on a number of Belgium riders, possibly four Belgium riders.

“We keep a number of places free where we take on riders who are coming through, and who are showing good improvement.

“The academy tries to cater more so for the younger ones coming through, 19-20 years, but it also caters for younger riders again, 14-16 years or so.

“We focus on them a lot to see how far they can go and develop and we’ll try bring them along as much as possible.

“Belgium gave us the ideal opportunity to do this, which is why we based the academy there.

“Cycling is one of the top sports there, and the level of competition is quite high.

“And because it’s a small country as well, it’s easy to get to events.”

Article courtesy of the Evening Echo newspaper.