Henao opens up about his biological passport ordeal
28-year-old back in Colombia while suspended by Tꦬeam Sky for second tim🏅e





"Why me?" 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Sergio Henao has described the psychological turmoil he's going through after being suspended by Team Sky over biological passport issues for the secoౠnd time in his career.
UCI opens biological passpor🍸t caseꦐ against Sergio Henao
168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Team Sky: We believe in Sergio Henao
Team Sky: We'r🐻e not responsible for publishing Henao report
Sergio Henao's independent blood profile review remains unpubl𒐪ish🥂ed
Team Sky aiding Sergio🅷 Henao as Biological Passport date is reacheꦏd
The Colombian was taken out of competition last month after the 168澳洲5最新开奖结꧒果:꧃UCI opened investigations into his blood data - as he had𒊎 been in 2014 when the British team themselves noted anomalies, which studies later attributed to the rider's stats as an 'altitude native'.
Given that Henao's first suspension was followed almost immediately by a career-threatening knee injury and a further 10 months on the sidelines, the second suspension has came as a new blow in a rough couple of years. Speaking publicly for the first time since being taken out of competition, in an interview with Colombian newspaper El Espectador, Henao described the ordeal.
"I thought that this was already a story that had been forgotten abou🍒t," he said. "It hit me hard and it's still hitting me hard.
"I keep asking myself: 'Why me?' There are innocent people in prison and this is♕ the same."
Henao explained that the situation was all the more painful given his 2016 season had begun so promisingly, with third overall at the Tour Down Under, sixth at Paris-Nice, and second at the V𓆏uelta al Pais Vasco. There were high hopes, too, for the Giro d'Italia, which he is having to watch on TV.
"It was really hard receiving the news because I felꦬt I was in an extraordinary moment of my career," said Henao.
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"At times it really saddens me and I cry at not being at the Giro. That♉'s what has hit me hardest and left the sourest taste, because I was in the best moment of my career."
Despite the "sadness", Henao says he does feel calm since �🦋�he has total confidence in his innocence.
"I will do the same [as I did in 2014]," he said. "I have nothing to hide, I have a clean conscience, my blood and urine tests show I've never used anything and that the biological passport fluctuations🔯 are due to my physiology."
Back to Colombia and keeping himself in shape
Henao has returned to Colombia, where he has continued to train and maintain his condition, while also b💮𒐪eing able to be with his wife for the birth of their first child.
Having not been officially sanctioned, Henao needs to be ready to make his rꩲeturn to competition, and he already has his sights set on the Criterium du Dauphine or Tour de Suisse next month, followed, possibly, by the Tour de France in July and later the Olympic Games road race in Rio. He revealed he has been in contact with Colombian national coach Carlos Mario Jaramillo and will travel to Brazil to reconnoitre the course in June.
"It must be made clear that I was only sidelined by my team because their policy dictates that when a rider is being investigated intern🌟ally, that's how you deal with it. But I haven’t been sanctioned by tꦡhe UCI and if the Olympics or Worlds were tomorrow, I'd be able to compete," said Henao.
"I arrived last week in Colombia and am nowꦏ dedicated to gym work and recovering from the demanding first part of the year. Physicallyﷺ, I'm in great shape and I'm preparing myself because I know that at any moment this might resolve itself and it'll be time to return to racing."
Henao confirmed Cyclingnews' report that he and Team Sky had left it until last Monday – the deadline – to respond to the UCI's r🅷equest for more information pertaining to the blood data in question.
He said the teamඣ waౠnted to compile as thorough a body of information as possible, no doubt including findings from the study they commissioned in 2014 into the changes in altitude natives when going between sea level and altitude.
The matter is now in the hands of the U🌞CI and Henao – who said Sky have "tried to put pressure on so that it's all sorted out as quickly as possible" – hopes there's a decision before the end of the Giro.