Riccardo Riccò has spoken to La Gazzetta dello Sport about his partner Vania Rossi's positive doping result for CERA, a third generation EPO. The control was taken after she finished in second place at the Italian Cyclo-cross championships on January 10th.
The Italian has denied any involvement with Rossi's situation telling the newspaper, "I do not know what happened, I have been away from home for three months, but now everyone will add two and two together, and I will again be considered guilty," he reasoned, expecting the finger to be pointed at him.
"I don't think she lied. At least I hope not, especially since she is breastfeeding our baby," explained Riccò.
Riccò is at the tail end of his own doping ban for CERA, and was expecting to return to competition in March at Milan Sanremo with his new Ceramica Flaminia team. "When I was found positive, I confessed everything. I was honest. I hope she [Rossi] would do the same [if she's guilty]," he said.
He also explained that he wasn't happy with her involvement in racing adding that, "Cycling is not for women, it is too hard."
Last week Rossi proclaimed her innocence in the matter citing her breastfeeding Alberto, the couple's six month old son. "On Sunday while waiting for verification [on January 10th] I was breastfeeding my son. If I had taken CERA, or anything else, I should be thrown in jail," she explained.
According to an expert quoted by La Gazzetta dello Sport the ingestion of CERA by a mother when she is breastfeeding is a serious matter because the drug would pass through the milk to the child.