If the Floyd Landis case didn’t prove that cycling’s anti-doping programs are in need of a major overhaul, the case of Italian Alessandro Petacchi further demonstrates the  system has run amok.

Petacchi, 33,  has a therapeutic-use exemption for salbutamol to treat an asthmatic condition. So, given that he has an exemption, it’s safe to say that the  World Anti-Doping Agency,  as well as the Union Cycliste Internationale,  signed off on it. Yet, WADA, in consort with the Italian  Olympic committee, is calling for Petacchi to be banned for using the drug that it had allowed for his therapeutic use.

The case stems from a “non-negative” result after Petacchi won a stage in the Giro d’Italia on May 23. According to WADA rules, if the level of salbutamol in the athlete’s system is found to be above a certain standard, the athlete must prove that  it is so because of normal therapeutic use.  In late July, the Italian Cycling Federation ruled that Petacchi had proven that, but the ruling came down too late to  prevent Petacchi from being withheld from the Tour de France by his Milram team.

Unfortunately, the Italian Olympic Committee  had wanted Petacchi to be suspended for a year. So now the group is teaming with WADA to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sports in an effort to get the Italian Cycling Federation ruling overturned.

What a mess.

On the bright side, Petacchi competed in the Paris-Tours race on Sunday and won the  sprint finish of the 159-mile trek from Paris to Tours.  His  finishing time was  5 hours, 32 minutes, 37 seconds.

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