Joe Papp

With amateur doping cases gaining notoriety, local racers in Florida are taking anti-doping into their own hands

Former pro cyclist Joe Papp has been sentenced to three years' probation, including six months of house arrest, for running an online drug ring that distributed EPO and human growth hormone.

One shoe has dropped for admitted drug trafficker-turned-anti-doping witness Joe Papp as he awaits sentencing on two felony counts of conspiracy to distribute Human Growth Hormone and Erythropoietin (EPO). The U.S. Anti-doping Agency announced Friday morning that Papp was handed an eight-year sanction for a non-analytical rule violation.

Another prominent U.S. masters racer has tested positive for a banned substance and accepted a sanction from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Nicholas Brandt-Sorensen (Sho-air-Rock ‘n Road), the 2011 national road champion for men 30-34, has informed VeloNews in a fax that he tested positive at nationals in September.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency has announced the life-time suspension of former Fly V Australia rider Phil Zajicek after he admitted to a second doping offense for purchasing erythropoietin (EPO), and a third doping offense for providing false testimony at an American Arbitration Association (AAA) panel hearing, as well as encouraging other witnesses to provide false testimony.

What do a couple of suspended masters racers have to do with the current Federal investigation of doping in cycling? Where are the big names?

The Associated Press reported Wednesday that Food and Drug Administration investigator Jeff Novitzky is in France to review doping evidence against Lance Armstrong.

UPDATED AND CORRECTED: A rider expected to start Sunday's professional road race championships was charged with a non-analytical doping violation, but was ruled not guilty by an arbitration panel, his lawyer says.

U.S. Anti-Doping Agency announced Friday that Jelly Belly pro Jonathan Chodroff has accepted a two-year period of ineligibility for use and possession of EPO when he was a Category 3 amateur.

Doping sanctions against as many as two dozen U.S. riders — pro and amateur — could come out in coming weeks.

Landis will ride for the team led by former U.S. professional criterium champion Rashaan Bahati.

Our readers sound off on Alberto Contador's victory salute, Portuguese standout Tiago Machado and bringing track cycling to the Winter Games.

Former cyclist Joe Papp, who testified against Floyd Landis in 2007, has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to sell EPO and other drugs, the AP is reporting

Our readers weigh in on doping cases, the risks on the road and the Trek lawsuit.

A three-member arbitration panel has suspended Rock Racing rider Kayle Leogrande for two years, after concluding that he used EPO during last year's Super Week, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) announced Monday. The independent panel of arbitrators from the American Arbitration Association (AAA)/North American Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) unanimously found that Leogrande, 31, used EPO when competing at Superweek on July 26, 2007. Leogrande, who has the option to appeal to the Court of Arbitration of Sport, said he was not yet prepared to respond to the panel’s decision.

...previous NR: You’re not the first to suggest there’s a bit of vigilantism on the side of the anti-doping agencies, all in the name of protecting clean athletes. FL: Honestly, in my heart, I don’t believe they are trying to convict innocent athletes. I don’t think they have the wrong intentions. But when you look at it in a black and white context, the way they are doing things, no one could know. How could you know if they have the right intentions or not? What are they trying to do?

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In June I discussed my concern regarding psychological effects of use of performance enhancing drugs. I had also heard from some of the riders about medical injuries related to doping. On Monday August 13th, Joe Papp, addressing a South Florida high school coaches’ conference on behalf of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, discussed the doping-related medical complications he encountered in July of 2006. I asked Papp to tell me more about his injury to illustrate the medical dangers of doping. These are injuries the riders keep to themselves as part of the shame and secrecy of doping.

The Italian Olympic Committee (Coni) has recommended a 21-month suspension for 2006 Giro d'Italia winner Ivan Basso for his involvement in the Operación Puerto blood-doping scandal, the ANSA news agency reported on Friday. Coni's anti-doping prosecutor Ettore Torri has asked the Italian cycling federation to hand out the suspension because of Basso's guilt in "using or attempting to use banned substances," according to the same source. The UCI's ethics rules would keep Basso from signing a contract with ProTour teams for an additional 21 months, but the grand tours do

If Floyd Landis is cleared of charges that he used synthetic testosterone to win the 2006 Tour de France, Monday could go down as the arbitration-hearing version of stage 17. Bolstered by scientific testimony from a pair of defense side experts, the Landis team appeared to poke significant holes in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s allegation that he cheated his way to victory on the Champs-Elysees. Landis had been scheduled to take the stand on the seventh day of this nine-day hearing at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, but his turn didn’t come up until late afternoon, and the

Day five of the Floyd Landis arbitration hearing started with a public admission of witness harassment and continued with a heartfelt doping confession by a suspended pro cyclist. In between it was more of the less sensational — but likely more critical — scientific testimony that will likely determine whether Landis is found guilty of using synthetic testosterone to win the 2006 Tour de France. The hearing continues Saturday with Landis himself scheduled to take the witness stand. If he beats the rap, he’ll hold onto his Tour title. Otherwise he faces a two-year racing ban, plus an

Editor's Note: Denver-based attorney Antonio Gallegos is in Malibu, California, this week to observe the Floyd Landis arbitration hearing. Gallegos works for the firm of Holland and Hart, concentrating in commercial litigation and government investigation. He is also an avid cyclist and is developing a sports law practice. At the end of each day Gallegos will be providing VeloNews.com with analysis on what happened and why. Here's his take key moments from the fifth day on the Pepperdine University Campus. Today’s evidence was pivotal for both USADA and Landis as testimony from USADA

LeMond testified under oath that Landis implicitly admitted to doping during a phone call. LeMond also testified that he received what he characterized as a threatening phone call from a member of the Landis team on the eve of his testimony.

Day two of the Floyd Landis hearing brought further clarification as to who each side may call to testify before the arbitration panel during the upcoming week. Most of the potential witnesses come from the scientific world, but there are a few names more familiar to cycling fans. Among them is Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France, and a vocal critic of doping in cycling. LeMond won the Tour title in 1986, and then two more times in 1989 and ’90. He was listed on the USADA side of the ledger, one spot above former pro cyclist Joe Papp. On Monday, USADA lead counsel

Floyd Landis moved a step closer to finding out whether his name will go down in Tour de France history or infamy. Landis’s scheduled 10-day arbitration hearing to determine whether he used synthetic testosterone to win the 2006 Tour commenced in the moot-courtroom of the Pepperdine University Law School in Malibu, California, with science — not cycling — taking center stage. If he wins the case he’ll avoid becoming the first Tour champion in 100 years to be stripped of his title. If Landis loses the win is no more, and he faces a two-year racing ban, and an additional two-year exclusion

On a day when all signs pointed to bunch sprint finishes, the finales of the elite men’s and women’s circuit races at day two of the Green Mountain Stage Race produced something else altogether. Men did 72 miles and the women 52 on Saturday’s undulating 19.4-mile circuit in Moretown, Vermont. On paper, the course was hard, but not hard enough to break up the respective fields. All previous editions of the race had ended in furious field sprints, but the 2004 edition was an exception. Joe Papp (ACT-UPMC) soloed off a group of four to win the men’s race, finishing off a 10km breakaway effort

Memorial Day racing in the U.S. was highlighted by a pair of classic criteriums on the NRC calendar, the Tour of Somerville in Somerville, New Jersey, and the Quad Cities Criterium in Rock Island, Illinois. On a dismal day in New Jersey, Jonas Carney defended his title at the 60th Tour of Somerville, beating out Jittery Joe's Jeff Hopkins to take the Somerville crown for a fifth time. In the women's race, Saturn took a 1-2 sweep, with Sarah Uhl and last year's winner Laura Van Gilder beating out another former champion, Diet Rite's Tina Mayolo-Pic. Meanwhile, at the Quad Cities races,

Dario Frigo is back with Fassa Bortolo and he’s back to his winning ways, taking Tuesday’s opening time trial of the Vuelta Ciclista a Communidad Valencia. Two years ago, Frigo was fired by Fassa Bortolo after he admitted he had in his possession banned doping products during the “San Remo blitz” of the 2001 Giro d’Italia. Last year he returned to racing with Tacconi Sport and won stages in Paris-Nice and the Tour de France as well as taking overall victory in the Tour of Romandie. This year, Frigo is back in the white and blue jerseys of Fassa Bortolo and easily won the flat, 9.7km

National criterium champion Kevin Monahan (7UP) kicked off the season by taking the National Racing Calendar opener, the two-day Florida Cycling Grand Prix, in Gainesville over the weekend. Monahan won the opening race of the criterium stage race on the Gainesville Raceway Saturday, and finished well enough in Sunday’s race, won by Jason Snow, to take the overall. A scheduled third event on Saturday evening was cancelled due to hurricane warnings. On Saturday, Monahan and teammate John Lieswyn finished one-two ahead of Keith Norris, and that would be the final order of the overall in the

Editor's note: Prime Alliance's Jonas Carney checked in with VeloNews.com throughout Super Week in Wisconsin. This is his wrap-up report.The International Cycling Classic is over. There weren't any big surprises in the last four days of racing. Chad Gerlach maintained his lead in the sprint competition, and The Russian Concussion finished up strong to take the overall. Thursday in the Sheboygan criterium a large group took a lap. Apparentlya group of riders was being caught in one of the final corners and it gota little chaotic, with Joe Papp sprinting to the win. Friday was the Kenosha

Now in its 16th year, Greenville, South Carolina’s two-day Michelin Cycling Classic has become one of America’s greatest events, a true season-ending classic. Cyclists from across the country and overseas gathered to join battle for one of the last times in 2001, with the streets of beautiful downtown Greenville as their battleground. And, though both days were contested on the same course, they led to very different results, with Juan-Carlos Pineda (7UP-Colorado Cyclist) and Jonas Carney (Prime Alliance) emerging victorious in the men’s events, while Ina-Yoko Teutenberg (Saturn) and Robin