For more than a decade, UAE Team Emirates general manager Mauro Gianetti has denied and stayed silent about doping suspicions during his racing career. A Radio France investigation has revealed, however, that things were different behind the scenes.
For a podcast episode and article published Friday, the Radio France investigation unit delved into the “doping incident” that saw Gianetti hospitalised for 12 days following a collapse during the 1998 Tour de Romandie. This incident has become notorious for its near-death outcome, with Gianetti placed in an induced coma as his vital organs began to fail. Gianetti’s explanation of his “ordeal” at the time was that he had suffered an allergic reaction and a respiratory tract infection, but the medical profession believed otherwise. According to Radio France, he confessed to an injection of the artificial blood substitute, perfluorocarbon, diluted with lecithin.
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