Luca Paolini has given a wide ranging interview to an Italian newspaper as he awaits the ruling of the UCI following his positive test for cocaine at the Tour de France (Photo: Sirotti)
Currently waiting to hear whether he will ever race as a professional again after a positive test for cocaine at the Tour de France, Italian Luca Paolini has claimed the death of his brother began his decent into substance abuse.
In a wide ranging interview with Gazzetta dello Sport, the 38-year-old Katusha rider said he became locked in a pattern of abusing sleep pills in an effort to get the rest he needed and then took cocaine for energy during the day.
He said since his positive test for cocaine, which he denied using after being caught; he had undergone a detox programme.
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And he claims his positive test has been a turning point for the better in his life.
The UCI said the week before last it was referring Paolini’s case to its Anti Doping Tribunal.
“It all started with sleeping pills, whose main active ingredient is benzodiazepine,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“But this creates an addiction. I needed a good night's rest to meet the physical and mental effort the next day.
“I started in 2004 when my brother died. The real problem is everyday life. There are big problems and smaller, but it all adds to this very stressful sport.
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“Mentally, it affects you a lot. It's at the time you start taking the substance, and that is sad. These errors led me to cocaine.”
He said he took the drug before the Tour when he was alone at a training camp.
“I was a slave to the sleeping pill, it was very sad,” he added.
“I quickly realised that this was no accident. I got rid of the sporting aspect, but I was reborn on the human side.
“No, I do not know if I would do it again. Cocaine made me open my eyes and realize what it was like to be dependent on sleeping pills.
“Thanks to the cocaine episode, I'm back to being a person. I have returned to living. If this is the price to pay to feel good as a person, I am more than willing to accept it.
“I take full responsibility, and I must not look for excuses. But I tell you this story so that people do not repeat the same mistakes.”
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