Oscar the doping cat. Using all nine lives.

11. Aug, 2011 8 Comments

Sevilla, nine lives.

Here’s an ironic gem from Oscar Sevilla that seems to sum up the entire Spanish Cycling Federation: “I am supposed to find out about the Spanish Federation’s decision in November and December. But, I don’t think anything will happen.”

That’s right — while he was caught last August, a full year ago at the Vuelta a Colombia — Sevilla expects to just keep racing and has no expectation or fear that he’ll be sanctioned by his governing body. That would be the Spanish one that let Alberto Contador off the hook and still hasn’t ruled on Ezequiel Mosquera and his positive test for a hydroxyethyl starch at last season’s Vuelta a Espana.

The wheels of cycling justice do not turn slowly in Spain — they don’t rotate at all due to a chronic wheel shortage.

Oscar is like a cat that always lands on his feet, clips into the pedals again and starts racing. The teams get smaller and the races less prestigious but the paychecks keep coming. And you’ve always got fellow Operacion Puerto buddy Francisco Mancebo for company.

“I would like to be on a big team because I like the good conditions of professional cycling,” said Sevilla. “But, I have had bad luck because of these problems. I guess that is life. Now, I can only live in the present, and what is happening with me now. I can’t keep thinking about the past or the future.”

There’s another gem right there. It was just his “bad luck” that he had “these problems.” Hey, call a needle a needle and a transfusion a transfusion, willya?

We always kinda liked the baby-faced Sevilla when he was riding for Kelme but then things got ugly. In fact they got downright hideous. Still, life rolls on and Sevilla and his Gobernacion de Antioquia team are racing the Tour of Utah this week.

When you’ve got the Spanish Federation on your side, you just keep racing.

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  • http://www.fuerzasoler.com FanDeSoler

    FYI – not that it makes a big difference, but Gobernaciaon de Antioquia is a Colombian team – it's like having the Government of Louisiana sponsor a team.

    Another tidbit – Sevilla started racing In Colombia a few years back, I think it was w/ Rock Racing (that fits well w/ his story, eh?). He met a Colombian woman during then & hasn’t left since. Would you believe that she is his newfound source of strength? Didn’t think so.

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      Fan, thanks for the news and insights. Baby face Sevilla has seen it all. Your story reminds me a little of Rasmussen and his Mexican wife. Matt

  • IdeaStormer Jorge

    Well racing with first Rock Racing and then any Columbian team is pretty much like being on a two year ban anyway, he's done his time (racing in nothing but lesser races) and he won't return to Europe anytime soon so I see nothing wrong with his little opps last year. If the UCI goes after him and leave the bigger fruit to rot right in front of us, well it will say a lot about how the UCI see's doping or vendettas.

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      True. They have bigger fish to fry than Sevilla and that's another point in his favor. They actually don't have time to deal with him when Contador and Mosquera are still up for review. Matt

  • Higgins

    What scares me most on this subject is the admission in an interview I read in the latest Procycling magazine (this isnt a plug for them) which basically states that there are so many new doping methods coming in, some from China, that the testers are potentially months if not years behind, so what hope is there of ever seeing a clean champion for sure ?

    In which case, only lifetime or effectively lifetime (5 years+) bans would make people think twice about taking the risks for glory. To think, I turned to cycling as a more pure and idealistic sport ..

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      I think the interesting thing here is that the UCI and WADA testers are working closely with drug developers to place little telltale markers in these drugs that make them easier to detect. The problem as you noted is places like China — they will manufacture the drug without the marker. Matt

  • http://www.cycleitalia.com Larry T.

    Pro cycling "pure and idealistic"? Yeah, sure, just like Pro WRESTLING. Lifetime ban with your only chance of less than the "death sentence" being to come clean and rat out EVERYONE who was involved with your doping. It works (sometimes) against organized crime — it'll work with cycling if they'll just try it…but too many higher-ups are making too much loot from the game to let it happen.

    • http://www.atwistedspoke.com TwistedSpoke

      Larry, I'm all in. Total ban, death sentence, whatever. But if you think the court case judgements take too long now, wait till you see how slow they move then it's ending a guy's career forever. Matt