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Roberto Heras, the Spanish rider who saw his 2005 Vuelta a España title stripped for a doping offense, is still holding out hope that he can return to the professional peloton.
Unlike other riders who’ve returned from doping bans to secure teams, Heras has had trouble finding a contract, especially among ProTour squads that have been hesitant to sign the Spanish climber.
“Everything has an expiration date, but I am still in time,” Heras told the Spanish daily MARCA. “I am active and I am knocking on some foreign doors, especially in Italy, but for the moment, nothing is certain.”
Heras, now 34, tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO in the weeks following his record fourth Vuelta crown in 2005. Counter-analysis confirmed the presence of EPO in his system, but Heras strongly denied he cheated and suggested there were irregularities in the testing protocol.
Instead of challenging the decision through the Court of Arbitration of Sport, he tried to dispute the ruling through Spanish civil court without much success.
UCI officials later stripped Heras of the 2005 Vuelta victory and awarded it to runner-up Denis Menchov.
His two-year ban ended a year ago, but Heras hasn’t exactly found a red carpet for his return to the elite peloton.
ProTour teams were hesitant to break a rule that prevented riders returning from doping bans from racing for two additional years following the conclusion of the penalty.
Instead of racing for a smaller, non-ProTour team on a reduced contract, Heras announced last year he would retire rather than compete in conditions that he considered undignified.
His sentiment is changing, however, and he’s hoping to return to elite competition
“I’ve taken care of myself and trained like always, because above all, cycling and the bike are my life,” Heras said. “This year I rode at least 20,000 kilometers, including a lot of days of 180 kilometers and six hours on the bike.”
Heras, who rode three years alongside Lance Armstrong at U.S. Postal Service before joining Liberty Seguros in 2004, has since competed in mountain bike rallies and marathons.
This week, he’ll be traveling to Costa Rica to compete in the Ruta de los Conquistadors (Nov. 12-15), where he’ll be a well-known name but considered an outsider for victory.
“These kinds of races keep me motivated,” he said. “The (Conquistador) organization invited me and Giant is going to sponsor me. I believe that I am well-prepared, but I don’t know what to expect. What’s sure is that it’s very hard, because in four days, you have to climb 14,000 meters.”
