Michele Ferrari

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Michele Ferrari

Born March 26, 1953 (age 71)

Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

Alma mater University of Ferrara

Occupation(s) Physician, cycling coach, author

Known for Committing numerous anti-doping violations

Michele Ferrari (born 26 March 1953) is an Italian physician, cycling coach and
author, who is mostly known for his role in supplying bicycle racers
with performance-enhancing drugs, notably EPO. His most famous client
was Lance Armstrong.
Biography[edit]
Ferrari was born in Ferrara, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, where he still lives.
In 1978, he obtained his degree in Medicine and Surgery at the University of
Ferrara. His doctoral thesis concerned the measurement of anaerobic
threshold in the sport of running.

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Ferrari was a consultant to the Italian Track and Field Federation (FIDAL) from
1977 to 1980. He became a specialist in sports medicine at the Sapienza
University of Rome in 1981. He was co-author of more than 20 papers in
journals of sports physiology. He studied parameters of athletes in a variety of
sports, such as track and field, cycling, swimming, skiing, and speed-skating.
Subsequently, until 1983, he was the sports physician of the National Italian
Biathlon team (FISI).
Eventually he settled on his lifelong interest: the development of training
programmes for professional cyclists. One of Ferrari's earliest successes was
coaching Francesco Moser to achieve the hour record in 1984, crushing Eddy
Merckx's mark by more than a mile.
Initially Ferrari worked with Professor Francesco Conconi at the University of
Ferrara, who developed testing techniques for human performance, using
methods such as monitoring the heart rate during exercise and recovery.
Another controversial Italian doctor, Luigi Cecchini, is their common disciple.
They have shared the care for some cyclists throughout their careers.
From 1984 onwards, Ferrari achieved extraordinary improvements in the fitness
of many cyclists. Ferrari popularised the use of VAM, a parameter now used in
cycling as a measure of fitness and speed.
Cycling team doctor and increasing prominence[edit]
In 1994, Ferrari was the team doctor for Gewiss. The team had an excellent
season, winning many races. In the Flèche Wallonne, the team realized a
historic triple victory. Concerned by the domination of the Italian team, some
observers pointed a finger of suspicion at the team doctor. Far from calming this
controversy, Ferrari compared erythropoietin to orange juice. "EPO is not
dangerous, it's the abuse that is. It's also dangerous to drink 10 liters of orange
juice".[1] This statement cost him his job as team physician. But his reputation
was made, and his name thereafter was associated with use of EPO in
particular. In 1995, Ferrari started his own private medical practice.
Clientele[edit]
Professional bicycle racers who were clients, in some capacity, of Ferrari
include: Lance Armstrong, Michael Rogers, Alexander Vinokourov, Michele
Scarponi, Denis Menchov, Giovanni Visconti, Yaroslav Popovych, Alessandro
Bertolini, Gianluca Bortolami, Gianni Bugno, Mario Cipollini, Claudio
Chiappucci, Roman Kreuziger, Armand de Las Cuevas, Fernando
Escartín, Gianni Faresin, Giorgio Furlan, Ivan Gotti, Andreas Kappes, Kevin
Livingston, Eddy Mazzoleni, Axel Merckx, Thomas Dekker, Abraham
Olano, Daniele Pontoni, Tony Rominger, Paolo Savoldelli, Filippo
Simeoni, Pavel Tonkov, Enrico Zaina and Beat Zberg.[2][3]
Perhaps the most famous athlete to have been coached or advised by Ferrari is
Lance Armstrong. Ferrari claims they were introduced to each other by Eddy
Merckx in 1995.[4] Earlier that year, Armstrong had begun doping.[5] Ferrari was
involved with the US Postal Service Cycling Team until October 2004, helping
Armstrong train during several of his seven consecutive Tour de
France victories. Tyler Hamilton, Armstrong's teammate who later confessed to
doping, worked with Ferrari for one year, according to his own account in a
television interview.[6]

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Sporting fraud trial[edit]
In October 2004, Ferrari was sentenced to one-year prison (suspended) and a
fine of 900 euros, for sporting fraud and abusive exercise of the profession
of pharmacist.[7] Ferrari's conviction in Italian court was based partly on
testimony from Italian bicycle racer Filippo Simeoni. Admitting he had been
doped since 1993, Simeoni told how he became affiliated with Ferrari in 1996.
Simeoni testified that, in addition to a prescription of EPO hormone, "we spoke
about Andriol (testosterone), which I was to use after hard training sessions,
with the aim of increasing my muscular power. Dr. Ferrari recommended I
use Emagel the morning before controls, and another product to decrease
my hematocrit."[8] Ferrari argued, in his defense: "Andriol is easily detectable for
several days in a normal urine test, so, it is impossible that I suggested he take
one Andriol 20 hours before another race."
Lance Armstrong responded to Ferrari's guilty verdict for malpractice in the
Italian Court case:
"I was disappointed to learn of the Italian court's judgment against Dr.
Michele Ferrari. Dr. Ferrari has been a longtime friend and trusted
adviser to me and the USPS team, during which time he never
suggested, prescribed or provided me with any performance-enhancing
drugs... However, I have always said that I have zero tolerance for
anyone convicted of using or facilitating the use of performance-
enhancing drugs. As a result of today's developments, the USPS team
and I have suspended our professional affiliation with Dr. Ferrari as we
await the release of the full verdict..."[9]
Ferrari then announced his intention to appeal his sentence. Ferrari was
acquitted of all charges against him on May 27, 2006, because, according to
the court, "the facts do not exist" to support the charges.[10]
2012 USADA indictment and lifetime ban[edit]
On 13 June 2012, Ferrari was officially charged by USADA with
administration and trafficking of prohibited substances.[11][12] As Ferrari did not
formally contest this indictment, he was issued a lifetime ban from
professional sport in July 2012.[13] In December 2012, Ferrari still protested
his innocence in an interview with Al Jazeera. He notably stated about
Lance Armstrong in that interview: “So, either he was clean – and in my
opinion, he was clean and he says he was clean – or the tests are not
powerful,” Ferrari added, before laughing: “Or the UCI was corrupt.”[14] In
January 2013, after Lance Armstrong had confessed to using PEDs, Ferrari
claimed on his blog that the cyclist could have achieved similar blood values
and performance with altitude training.[15]
2013 revelation[edit]
In November 2013, Armstrong settled a lawsuit with Acceptance Insurance
Company (AIC). AIC had sought to recover $3 million it had paid Armstrong
as bonuses for winning the Tour de France from 1999–2001. The suit was
settled for an undisclosed sum one day before Armstrong was scheduled to
give a deposition under oath. In written testimony for the suit, Armstrong
admitted under oath that Ferrari had been one of four individuals who had
supplied him with PEDs during his cycling career.[16][17]

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