Professional cyclist Roman Kreuziger, who rides for the Tinkoff-Saxo team, has launched an internet site to protest that he is innocent of doping. On 23 October, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) announced that it was joining the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in appealing a Czech Olympic Committee hearing panel’s 22 September decision to acquit Kreuziger to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). A date for the hearing has yet to be set.

The UCI found anomalies in Kreuziger’s Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) during April and May 2012, when he was preparing for the Giro d’Italia. Apparently, they relate to a concurrent drop in haemoglobin and reticulocytes within his blood, followed by a spike in haemoglobin concurrent with a rise, and then dramatic drop, in reticulocytes. During the last 10 days of the Giro, Kreuziger’s hematocrit rose, when most athletes would expect to see a drop. Velonews provides an explanation of this here.

Under Article 7.5 of WADA’s International Standard, Testing and Investigations, if an anti-doping organisation is satisfied that an anti-doping rule violation has occurred, it must ‘give the athlete notice, in the manner set out in its rules, of the anti-doping rule violated, and the basis of the violation’. Article 13 of the World Anti-Doping Code (in particular, Article 13.1.3) allows WADA to appeal a final decision of an anti-doping organisation directly to CAS.

Kreuziger has taken an unusual step by publishing a number of documents relating to his case on the internet site. ‘I have never doped and never tested positive for doping’, writes Kreuziger. ‘Despite this for a year and a half now I have been living in uncertainly as to whether I will be able to continue to devote myself to my life’s passion and continue with my career. Since June 2013 I have been investigated by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) for an alleged violation of anti-doping regulations on the basis of supposed anomalies in my biological passport. ‘However, I have never exceeded the basal values and did not even approach these values. The Arbitration Committee of the Czech Olympic Committee cleared me of any wrongdoing in October of this year. The UCI have appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne and I am still threatened with a four year ban and a high fine.’

‘I consider the biological passport to be an excellent tool’, continues Kreuziger. ‘However, clear rules for its use must be set out otherwise it is useless and can be used to eliminate anyone. Rules cannot be changed during a game. And that is what is happening now. What purpose do the basal values serve if mere suppositions are used to determine guilt?’