Roberto Heras: "I'm clean"

By Yokota Fritz


Four-time Vuelta a España champion Roberto Heras has vowed to fight if a second urine analysis tests positive for the banned substance EPO, promising to take the battle beyond an appeal to the Court of Arbitration in Sport and to the legal courts. Heras races for team Liberty Seguros.

Heras tested positive for EPO use but maintains his innocence, claiming that there are flaws in the testing procedure. His lawyers believe the the outcome of the second test will be negative. The results are expected Thursday. Me and many of my U.S. readers will be fighting the sleep-inducing effects of another substance -- tryptophan -- on that day.