Philippe Gaumont
Encyclopedia
Philippe Gaumont is a former French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 professional road racing cyclist. He is notorious for having confessed to extensive doping
Doping (sport)
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport is commonly referred to by the term "doping", particularly by those organizations that regulate competitions. The use of performance enhancing drugs is mostly done to improve athletic performance. This is why many sports ban the use of performance...

 and explaining a lot of the tricks of the trade.

Racing results

  • He got the bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics
    1992 Summer Olympics
    The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

    , 100 km against the clock cycling.
  • He was twice individual pursuit French national champion
    French National Track Championships
    The French National Track Championships are held annually and are composed of competitions of various track cycling disciplines across various age and gender categories.-Senior:-Team sprint:-Team pursuit:-Madison:-Junior:-Team Pursuit:...

    , in 2000 and 2002.
  • He won the Belgian classic Gent–Wevelgem in 1997.


In 2004, Philippe Gaumont quit professional cycling. He now runs a café
Café
A café , also spelled cafe, in most countries refers to an establishment which focuses on serving coffee, like an American coffeehouse. In the United States, it may refer to an informal restaurant, offering a range of hot meals and made-to-order sandwiches...

 in Amiens.

Doping usage

  • He began his professional career in 1994 in the Castorama
    Castorama
    Castorama is a French retailer of DIY and home improvement tools and supplies. It has its head office in Templemars.The company became a subsidiary of Kingfisher plc in 1998, along with Castorama's own subsidiary Brico Dépôt. Some outlets have been converted or relocated under the Brico Dépôt DIY...

     team.
  • In 1996 he joined the GAN
    Gan
    Gan may refer to:-Computing and telecommunications:*.gan, the file extension for documents created by GanttProject*Generic Access Network formerly known as Unlicensed Mobile Access *Global Area Network- Mythology :...

     team, and was tested positive for nandrolone
    Nandrolone
    Nandrolone is an anabolic steroid that may be present naturally in the human body, albeit in minute quantities of less than 0.4 ng/ml. Nandrolone is most commonly sold commercially as its decanoate ester and less commonly as a phenylpropionate ester...

     in two races.
  • In 1997 he joined the Cofidis
    Cofidis
    Cofidis is a French company, one of the Otto Group's financial services providers.Founded in 1982 by 3 Suisses International in cooperation with Cetelem, Cofidis specializes in the consumer credit business of the 3 Suisses Group....

     team, in which he stayed until the end of his career.
  • In 1998 he was tested positive twice for the nandrolone drug, but obtained that the case was dismissed.
  • In 1999, a blood test conducted in the "Docteur Mabuse" justice case showed he was positive for amphetamine
    Amphetamine
    Amphetamine or amfetamine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class which produces increased wakefulness and focus in association with decreased fatigue and appetite.Brand names of medications that contain, or metabolize into, amphetamine include Adderall, Dexedrine, Dextrostat,...

    s.
  • In 2004, he was interrogated by French police and justice in the enquiry for the Cofidis doping case. He declared that he had repeatedly and consistently used doping products, including EPO
    Erythropoietin
    Erythropoietin, or its alternatives erythropoetin or erthropoyetin or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production...

    , since the beginning of his professional career. He then said that he thought that 95% of professional racers doped themselves and expressed very strong doubts that a racer could win a major tour, such as the Tour de France
    Tour de France
    The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

    , without doping.


Following from this case, he quit professional racing. He gave a series of interviews, and wrote a book, Prisonnier du dopage ("Prisoner of doping") in which he explained various things that he witnessed in professional cycling: doping methods, masking methods, and how the need to make money makes racers dope themselves.

He gave details such as how to avoid being tested positive for corticoids: how, for instance, to irritate one's testicle sac using salt in order to provoke a rash and obtain a prescription for some corticoid cream. Since urine tests do not distinguish between (legal) corticoid applied as creams, with a prescription, and (illegal) injections, such prescriptions are used to mask doping.

See also


External links

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