ICU to adopt athlete bio mapping

WADA president Dick Pound, who has been sharply critical of the UCI8217;s handling of the doping crisis, hailed the effort and said it was time to reach 8220;a new page8221; in the sport8217;s future.

8220;There has been a lot of harsh language back and forth about how cycling got to where it is today,8221; Pound said. 8220;This is a new day. We are trying to work with cycling to help in insofar as we can to get cycling back to where it should be.8221;

Pound said he hoped that some day, historians would look back on the 2006-07 seasons as the years that cycling officials 8220;looked over the edge of a very deep chasm, pulled back, and said: 8216;No, enough.8217;8221;

Riders would need to present the passport to be able to ride in next year8217;s Tour de France. If successful, the experimental programme could become a model for use by other sports.

8220;The blood passport doesn8217;t follow products, but the athlete,8221; French Health and Sports Minister Roselyne Bachelot said.