Sella turns Stool Pigeon

Capodacqua has the details

Two hours behind closed doors for a confession just in summary, but one which will be clarified and fully detailed in writing after the holiday. Names, surnames, circumstances. After Riccardo Ricco, Emanuele Sella too has "lifted a weight from his stomach," confirming in a hearing with the head of the antidoping prosecutor of CONI, Ettore Torri, to doping with CERA the distressing picture that is appearing in the background of the latest doping story in cycling. International traffic: a path that leads to the Veneto (already at the centre of the investigations into the pm Cameran (??) at the 2001 Giro) and to the East. A Hospital in Serbia from which came, under the counter, the valuable, brand new hormone that stimulates the production of red blood cells and that until the explosion of sensational cases at the Tour was thought to be untraceable in tests. Old personalities and very familiar faces reappear; doctors who are old acquaintances in doping stories. Disconcerting details are emerging. A framework that Sella has promised to explain in detail after the summer holidays in an agreement between the prosecutor Torri and Pasqualin, who represented the athlete (defended by the advocate Eriberto Rosso). Pasqualin in recent days has pushed to the limit to get the Vicentine rider to open up and make a full confession. Is the rubber wall crumbling? It's too soon to say, but we have to recognise that the two cases, Ricco and Sella, have struck a heavy blow and should recognise (in Ricco most) the courage to finally make a serious contribution to lead and drive cycling from the whirlpool of banned medicines.

Ricco has spoken of Santuccione. In the Sella inquiry there emerges once again the figure of a doctor, Enrico Lazzaro, previously implicated in grim stories of doping regarding the blitz made by Customs on the 2001 Giro. How is it that little has changed since then, apart from a greater caution. When you look back over time, nowadays it is more "difficult". If the doctor who "advises" you is at the centre of attention then it's better to consult another doctor less in the spotlight [under the crosshairs], but who works closely with the first. But don't give up the old habits.

Sella was at the centre of attention of Nas, the Customs Police [Guardia di Finanzia] and the CONI anti-doping prosecutor for months. An investigation opened by Customs in Padova led, during the Giro, to the stopping of the father of a Gerolsteiner racer while he was travelling on the Giro route with a Director Sportive friend. In the car was found, among other things, a syringe concealed in a toothpaste tube. That syringe showed traces of a powerful doping hormone, lutrelef. Simultaneously with the stop, the house of the DS was searched. Eighty-odd packages of Viagra were recovered. For right or wrong, the easiest new frontier of doping was do-it-yourself. One of the recipients of Viagra was a friend of Sella. From there attention and the inquiry turned to him. Right up to the bombshell of the positive for CERA in the test carried out by the UCI on 23rd of July. And once again the Veneto and the famous north is the breeding ground of a doping ever more sophisticated. Sella now hopes for a reduction in penalty. His offence is ususlly subject to a two year suspension. That's without taking in to account the visits to a banned doctor which lengthens the shadow of the suspension. Everything depends on the extent of his cooperation. It can't be anything less than complete and total (names, suppliers, doctors, etc) if he wants to get back to racing before he is too old. He is 27 and has a not particularly hopeful future before him. For now the signs would seem to be ... positive.