“I almost died from a transfusion” - Convicted doper Riccardo Riccò opens up about risks of cycling's dark era

Riccardo Riccò’s life has taken a sharp turn away from professional cycling. Banned for life after several doping-related episodes, the Italian has rebuilt his day-to-day outside competition, focused on his business and a calmer relationship with the bike. In an interview with La Stampa, the former rider looks back on his past, owns his mistakes, and explains how he managed to recover after the hardest moments.

A pure climber, at the height of his time he battled for some of Italy's most prestigious races such as the Giro d'Italia and Il Lombardia, coming close to winning both but taking several high-level wins during his stint as a pro. Riccò was part of the disgraced Saunier Duval team, in which he performed well above expectations in his first years as a pro, which featured three Giro d'Italia wins. In 2008 he was second to Alberto Contador, but this level was not reached naturally, but instead through the use of CERA, a third-generation form of EPO.

However his doping habits did not stop after the suspension he was given. In 2011 he confessed to blood transfusions, after one such almost ended his life - although he initially denied his use of the forbidden procedure.

Riccò acknowledges the impact of his fall from grace: “They destroyed me, I went through tough times, fell into depression and other complicated situations, but I don’t want to play the victim.” For years, cycling was a painful memory: “I got back on the bike three years ago, after ten in which it hurt to see my former rivals racing and winning. It reminded me of what I couldn’t do. I didn’t even watch the races.”

With time and professional help, his perspective has shifted: “Then I began to process it, also thanks to therapy. Now I’m at peace, even though the wound is still there.” Today, cycling is no longer his profession, but it remains in his life as a hobby: “I use apps to compare myself with the pros’ times and I’m still competitive.”

The Italian also keeps a link to the sport through amateurs, whom he advises: “Besides giving tips, I do some coaching. I know two or three things about cycling. I’ve suffered and I’ve won, so I said to myself: why not? I’m coaching eight amateurs now, I enjoy it, it’s my world.”

On his past, he doesn’t dodge responsibility, though he frames the era: “I’m not looking for excuses and I accept my guilt, but over time many other cases have come out".

The Italian has also launched a stunning remark against two of his compatriots, some of Italy's most successful riders of the 21st century. "If you look at the list of riders, all the strongest have been caught for doping, except [Damiano] Cunego and [Paolo] Bettini".

"When there’s business involved, that’s how it works.” In the same vein, he claims he was part of a widespread dynamic: “I was doped when everyone was doped.”

One of the most serious episodes of his career was the self-blood transfusion that nearly cost him his life, a practice he describes starkly: “It wasn’t the first time I’d done it. I’d been doing it for a year, because it was the only way not to test positive: you take your own blood and then put it back in.” As he explains, it wasn’t an isolated idea: “I didn’t invent it. Moser set the Hour Record in Mexico City and said publicly that he’d done it.”

Riccò admits he acted without weighing the risks: “With self-administered transfusions, it’s something that can happen. I wasn’t afraid and I did it carelessly. If I’d injected cortisone immediately, nothing would have happened, but I didn’t know and, at twenty, you feel omnipotent.”

Regarding his lifetime ban, he argues that his situation was aggravated by a case in which, he says, he had no direct responsibility: “I got caught up in a trafficking case involving doping substances that I had nothing to do with, and I proved it in court, but sporting justice wanted to remove me for good and it succeeded.”