Riccardo Riccò has promised to return to racing when his ban for blood doping ends in 2023, despite considering himself a pariah of the sport compared to many of his former Grand Tour rivals.
The disgraced Italian will be 40 in 2023, but during a long interview published by La Gazzetta dello Sport he insists he will be competitive.
Ricco was banned for 12 years in 2012 after already serving a two-year ban for his positive test for CERA at the 2008 Tour de France. He was also caught up in an investigation into the sale of stolen hospital medicines before moving from Italy to the Spanish island of Tenerife, where he now owns an ice cream parlour.
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"I'll be 40 when my ban ends in 2023. I'll be competitive. If I was training now, I'd be stronger than ever, I feel it. Some teams want me and if not I'd create my own team. Whatever, sooner or later I'll be back racing," Ricco told La Gazzetta dello Sport, still showing his usual bravado during an interview. The interview took place in his lawyer's office in Rimini in the presence of his latest wife, Melissa, who he married a year ago.
"I've now got a ice cream shop in Tenerife. I even make ice cream for dogs. Things are going well. Perhaps it's because I'm now working but I think I've changed. I like making ice cream but there's nothing like my love for cycling.
"I don't ride much, but I still love it. Riding helps me relax. I don't watch much racing, but I see my former colleagues go as fast as ever, if not faster. Valverde is like balsamic vinegar, the older he gets the better he is. I like [Fabio] Aru, [Peter] Sagan is unique and is good for cycling. I like [Vincenzo] Nibali, too. He's the best rider we have in Italy."
'I prefer chemical doping to mechanical doping'
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