An Italian rider suspended after an EPO booster not yet approved for human consumption was found in his system has claimed he was the victim of an act of sabotage. Fabio Taborre has told an Italian newspaper he suspects his coffee was spiked with FG-4592 (Photo: Sirotti)
An Italian rider suspended earlier this year after an EPO-type drug was found in his system has said he believes his coffee may have been spiked with the substance.
Fabio Taborre was notified by the UCI in the summer that an out of competition sample taken from him had returned an adverse finding for FG-4592.
The drug is a blood-boosting agent that has not yet been approved for human consumption and was added to the list of banned substances on June 1st.
It is believed it may be beneficial to the treatment of some forms of cancer, chronic kidney disease, anaemia and some cardiac conditions.
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When releasing information about Taborre’s case in July, the UCI described the substance as “a prohibited substance that has the property of stimulating the endogenous production of EPO”.
The 30-year-old has now said in an interview, with Italian newspaper La Repubblica, that he believes he was the victim of a very unusual sabotage.
“I have a feeling that I suffered sabotage: the stuff, I learned, is in powder form, it can be dissolved in the coffee but (I) do not really know what to think,” he said.
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The Androni Giocattoli-Sidermec rider was subjected to an out of competition test on June 16th as he was preparing to ride the Tour of Slovenia, with the UCI announcing on July 27th it was suspending him.
The adverse result was found in a sample taken just two days after Taborre’s team mate Davide Appollonio gave a sample that produced an adverse finding for EPO.
And because the two results came within the same year, the team was suspended for a period of 30 days under UCI rules.
The squad is currently suing both riders for €100,000, with their Italian court dates set for March.
Taborre has ridden his entire career with Italian teams and in 2011 won the Gran Premio Città di Camaiore and Memorial Marco Pantani. In 2012 he won stage 5 of the Tour of Austria.
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