Pedro Romero, current president of the Extremadura Cycling Federation, former professional road and mountain bike cyclist, has been sanctioned by the Spanish Agency for the Protection of Health in Sport (AEPSAD) with four years of suspension for a positive for doping

Romero, 37 years old and former champion of Spain of BTT, barely competed since last year, when the sanctioning process began, which concluded last Monday with the communication of the official report, which shows the remains of Darbopoetin Alfa in blood, the same substance that The Spanish-German skier Johann Muehlegg was discovered, for example, at the Salt Lake City Olympics. This banned product helps increase the presence of red blood cells in the blood to improve performance.

Pedro Romero acceded to the presidency of the Territorial Extremeña on February 1, 2017 (it was the only candidacy that was presented) and then assured that his position was compatible with the professional cycling activity. However, in 2019 he had stopped running and in June he announced that he was retiring from the competitions, claiming that he was engaged in his business and in the direction of the Extremadura Federation . At that time, it had not been made public that a sanctioning process was open and that a precautionary sanction for doping fell upon it. The former cyclist denied, in Cáceres, where he appeared in his lawyer's office, that he has taken a doctorate and assured that the whole process opened against him is full of "inconsistencies", because, according to his version, different results have been found in the blood and urine controls Exhausted the administrative route said he will fight in the judicial process to prove his innocence and warned that he will not resign from the office of president of the Extremadura Federation. Thus, he clarified that he puts the position at the disposal of the General Directorate of Sports of the Junta de Extremadura, and that he will respect the decision they adopt. In this regard, he added: «I have done nothing; I have a clear conscience because I have not done anything illegal.

The former champion of Spain has reported that «at the end of November last year he received a notification that he was suspended cautiously. «I requested information because I had a total ignorance and it did not give me an idea. On January 16 we did a B test. The first test of my blood is negative, the second one is broken, and the third one, done three weeks later, is positive, but in a urine test it comes out negative ... This is a method which does not quantify, which interprets, ”he detailed. A check was taken in the Picota Bike Race test.

Likewise, Romero questioned the sanctioning process of AEPSAD: «If the urine is negative, this is a total and absolute nonsense, but we have not been able to explain it. The method does not quantify, interpret. It would be the first control in history that tests positive in blood but not in urine. Urine is suitable and meets validity criteria; if not, they would have discarded it and practiced another method. But that they have not been able to explain ». The former broker also denounced that the report states that the samples "were not sealed", but that AEPSAD played down this fact. «I never achieved extraordinary results in my career, and if I have used anything it is my regularity». The manager described the entire process as "a nightmare."

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