Riccò hospitalized for possible kidney ailment

[Benotti69]

If it was done in front of his wife, as reported by Gazzetta, does that mean we're finally done with her, too?
What a family! Jeezuz!

i bet she puts the butterfly needle in because he is scared of needles

 

[BotanyBay]

He Who Shall Not Be Named. Even you can figure the rest out

 

[Colm.Murphy]

That was quick.

 

[Chuffy]

I am giving them the benefit of the doubt because i do not see how they are guilty given the current facts. I am suspicious of them, as i am with everyone in cycling, but as it stands Ricco doping does not equal Mapei doping. If your source knows so much then maybe either they or you would like to tell us all?

+1 to all of that, especially the bold.

 

[ulrikmm]

no, it's not. It's for short-term use to treat anaemia caused by chemotherapy. Some doctors were prescribing it for off-label use to treat long-term anaermia. There's now a specific black box warning regarding that practice, since it's not effective and it increased mortality rates:

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety...ormationforPatientsandProviders/ucm200297.htm

Epogen®/Procrit® is indicated for the treatment of anemia due to the effect of concomitantly administered chemotherapy, based on studies that have shown a reduction in the need for red blood cell transfusions in patients with metastatic, non-myeloid malignancies receiving chemotherapy for a minimum of 2 months.
ESAs are not indicated for use in patients receiving hormonal agents, therapeutic biologic products, or radiotherapy unless receiving concomitant myelosuppressive chemotherapy.
ESAs are not indicated for patients receiving myelosuppressive therapy when the anticipated outcome is cure.
ESA use has not been demonstrated in controlled clinical trials to improve symptoms of anemia, quality of life, fatigue, or patient well-being.

Along with the mountains of research which have led to this, there's a lot more which has yet to be published, or the publication of which is currently in dispute, because drug companies have a lot of money and ESAs are big business. The entire EPO situation makes the UCI look like an upright organization.

Regardless, is the new news that it was a blood transfusion gone bad?

I am sorry, but you are wrong, wrong, wrong. At our institution, almost all dialysis patients receive Eprex and later Neorecormon injections weekly. And have done for at least 15 years. EPO is produced in the healthy kidney. When the kidney stops to function, injection of EPO is necessary in order to prevent anamia.

Check out Neorecormon, Aranesp at the European medicines agency: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index....menus/medicines/medicines.jsp&jsenabled=false

EPOgen here: http://www.epogen.com/

Note the company slogan in the top of the homepage: "Epogen: for people on dialysis with anaemia".

The use in cancer patients is not very common.

 

[Berzin]

If your source knows so much then maybe either they or you would like to tell us all?

Given how whistlebowers are treated by the powers that be in pro cycling, it's no wonder people don't speak out. And I don't blame him.

Ricco will be banned for life, everyone will feel great about it, and the system will remain as is.

I do have to say that Italy does it's fair share in combating this problem, but going after individual riders isn't enough anymore.

Marco Pantani died as a result of the myriad of problems he had on and off the bike, but does anyone know of the people who supplied him with the PEDs or the doctor or doctors that he worked with?

They are all probably still in the game, poisoning the next batch of young riders coming on to the scene.

And just in case you didn't know, the hyper-competitive and cutthroat amateur cycling ranks in Italy are as knee-deep in PEDs as the pros.

 

[Hugh Januss]

The reason I chose to reply to your post is because I am no fan of that idiot either. However, I do not extend any sympathy to that jerk. He's lucky he didn't kill himself. After that his luck is done. That arrogant, cheating, STUPID, SOB should be banned for life. He carries his plague with him, where ever he goes, and his kind is a blight to the sport of cycling. No more forgiveness for him. the UCI and WADA and all of the authorities should come down on him as hard as possible to rid the sport of his kind. Persistent loser, caught twice on major doping offences. He's like the crack addict you see in the street, laying there with drool running down his face. Not many people feel sorry for those kind of people, why should anybody feel sorry for Ricco? Cut him loose, and let him killl himself, away from the cycling world. This kind of character infuriates me. There are NO excuses for his kind of behavior.
As I said before, he's lucky to be alive. That's it.

I was going to respond to your post when I first read it, but I went and had breakfast instead. Now I see several people have said more or less what I was going to say, so this might be just a Francois the Postman style +1 to Cobblestone's post.
I think your anger is missplaced, don't hate the riders caught up in the system, hate the system. Hate the UCI for being totally responsible for the system the way it stands, for protecting the doping system and for protecting selected riders within that system. Ricco was doing what he had to do to return to the top level (and his former level) of pro racing. He's no different than Vino or Basso or Millar (well except that Millar is careful what he says) or any of the others who have returned. They all do it and the ones who get caught have no choice but to go back to doing it upon their return, because everyone they race against has continued to do it while they were away.

 

[Cobblestones]

I am sorry, but you are wrong, wrong, wrong. At our institution, almost all dialysis patients receive Eprex and later Neorecormon injections weekly. And have done for at least 15 years. EPO is produced in the healthy kidney. When the kidney stops to function, injection of EPO is necessary in order to prevent anamia.

Check out Neorecormon, Aranesp at the European medicines agency: http://www.ema.europa.eu/ema/index....menus/medicines/medicines.jsp&jsenabled=false

EPOgen here: http://www.epogen.com/

Note the company slogan in the top of the homepage: "Epogen: for people on dialysis with anaemia".

The use in cancer patients is not very common.

Different rEPO. Some newer types have fewer side effects when used in long-term treatment. It's also in a bit of a flux since more and more data comes in from more and bigger long-term studies. Remember, some of the newer rEPO forms haven't been on the market for too long.

 

[131313]

I am sorry, but you are wrong, wrong, wrong. At our institution, almost all dialysis patients receive Eprex and later Neorecormon injections weekly. And have done for at least 15 years. EPO is produced in the healthy kidney. When the kidney stops to function, injection of EPO is necessary in order to prevent anamia.

The use in cancer patients is not very common.

Take it up with the FDA, then. They're the ones with the black box warning regarding this exact practice.

 

[Roadent]

Well, when someone at the New York Times is PO'd about all this, you know it's starting to be the end times for Pro Cycling:

http://twitter.com/#!/JulietMacur/status/35015356909101056

 

[offbyone]

Pretty pathetic that he didn't even give it half a season before going back to doping. The guy didn't even find out if he could compete clean. It is almost like he was addicted to doping.

 

[ulrikmm]

Different rEPO. Some newer types have fewer side effects when used in long-term treatment.

But EPO was used from the start in hemodialysis patients. Weekly injections. Long term. I should know it, worked as a doctor in the dept. of nephrology at our university clinic in the mid 1990es.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Anyone who keeps mentioning or referencing to Armstrong, go to an Armstrong thread, if you do so here, you will understand that it has consequences. I am sick of all this Armstrong talk in other threads

That is like trying to discuss politics without ever saying the word 'president'.

 

[Cobblestones]

Well, when someone at the New York Times is PO'd about all this, you know it's starting to be the end times for Pro Cycling:

http://twitter.com/#!/JulietMacur/status/35015356909101056

Maybe German TV can produce a docu-drama about Ricco and show it during the P-R weekend?

 

[Cobblestones]

But EPO was used from the start in hemodialysis patients. Weekly injections. Long term. I should know it, worked as a doctor in the dept. of nephrology at our university clinic in the mid 1990es.

Technically, this was then off-label use and is now discouraged?

 

[Barrus]

That is like trying to discuss politics without ever saying the word 'president'.

Which is quite easy, epsecially if you understand that in that analogy we are talking about a political system that does not have a president

 

[Hugh Januss]

Pretty pathetic that he didn't even give it half a season before going back to doping. The guy didn't even find out if he could compete clean. It is almost like he was addicted to doping.

Gee, almost like he knows that it would be futile to try racing without the same "preparation" as all the competition.

 

[Tyler'sTwin]

Given how whistlebowers are treated by the powers that be in pro cycling, it's no wonder people don't speak out. And I don't blame him.

But he's retired, no? So what does he have to fear now? Tell your ex-pro to man up and speak out. The system will never ever change if all these cowards keep their mouth shut.

 

[Hugh Januss]

Which is quite easy, epsecially if you understand that in that analogy we are talking about a political system that does not have a president

Ahh, but in my analogy we were discussing US politics.

 

[therealtimshady]

i honestly didnt think ricco would be that stupid as with his reputation he will almost have an fbi stakeout watch on him - at least it spells out the dangers of doping though

 

[BotanyBay]

It is almost like he was addicted to doping.

We have a winner.

 

[BotanyBay]

I know an ex-pro who trained at the Mapei center, and he told me all about it. And he was there recently, as in last year.

Your friend is complicit in the problem by not speaking-out and exposing it. He has a responsibility to do it.

 

[hrotha]

Gee, almost like he knows that it would be futile to try racing without the same "preparation" as all the competition.

Now I'm all for blaming the system and not just the riders, but you guys are dangerously close to blaming the system but not the riders. Riccò didn't have to win the Giro. You can be clean and still enjoy some level of success. Returning to the top of the game was his choice.

 

[Anonymous]

I know an ex-pro who trained at the Mapei center, and he told me all about it. And he was there recently, as in last year.

The issue at hand is why are people always giving guilty parties the benefit of the doubt. It's almost as if we cannot accept the obvious out of fear of implicating someone innocent, as if it were the greatest crime anyone could commit.

Incidents like this are not isolated. There is a string of characters attached to organized doping in Italy, which like in Belgium is operated Mafia-style. There are the suppliers, the doctors, the team managers and the riders are the last on the list.

It ends with the riders, the ones most powerless to either stop it or defend themselves against it. Which is why the are such easy targets for derision and scorn.

Ricco is the least despicable character in all this, believe me. The people enabling and profiting from organized doping are the ones who deserve the scorn and ridicule.

just to let you know that somebody out there does appreciate your posts.

i don't think it seems to be registering with most (who seem to have an agenda, for/or against certain riders), but it is with me.

i love cyclists.

i love cycling.

i do not love the system which pretty much makes it mandatory that riders dope or be dropped!

if that is the case, then for godssake regulate it and keep these guys/gals from killing themselves.

 

[Frosty]

Given how whistlebowers are treated by the powers that be in pro cycling, it's no wonder people don't speak out. And I don't blame him.

Ricco will be banned for life, everyone will feel great about it, and the system will remain as is.

I do have to say that Italy does it's fair share in combating this problem, but going after individual riders isn't enough anymore.

Marco Pantani died as a result of the myriad of problems he had on and off the bike, but does anyone know of the people who supplied him with the PEDs or the doctor or doctors that he worked with?

They are all probably still in the game, poisoning the next batch of young riders coming on to the scene.

And just in case you didn't know, the hyper-competitive and cutthroat amateur cycling ranks in Italy are as knee-deep in PEDs as the pros.

Look i broadly agree with you, i think its really sad that people end up in the riders' situation. All i am saying is that just because you apparently know something it doesnt mean that anyone who doesnt agree with you is delusional.