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Milan - The last major race of the cycling season could start with a protest, with riders contemplating a 10-minute delay at Saturday's Giro di Lombardia after Italy's anti-doping prosecutor suggested all cyclists use drugs.
Defending champion Philippe Gilbert told the Gazzetta dello Sport that fellow cyclist Roman Kreuziger recently phoned him to discuss a possible protest.
Gilbert said a protest would be "a way to show that cycling is not synonymous with doping, rather that it's actually cleaner than a lot of other (sports), and definitely the sport that has fought against doping the most."
Race organizer RCS Sport has also organized a symposium on "the ethics of cycling," in conjunction with the single-day classic.
In his first interview in two years, prosecutor Ettore Torri told The Associated Press last week that legalizing doping would be a possible solution if that didn't harm the health of cyclists. He said anti-doping authorities prosecute only a small percentage of offenders.
Torri's comments came following four years of doping cases against prominent cyclists like Ivan Basso, Danilo Di Luca, Alessandro Petacchi and Riccardo Ricco - and a week after Tour de France winner Alberto Contador was reported to have tested positive.
In the interview, Torri also pointed out that when a test is developed to find a new substance, that doesn't eliminate the drug's use among dopers.
"There are always ways to use micro dosages that are not discovered in tests," Torri said. "These trainers are really good at their jobs and they're able to prescribe just enough of the drug that it remains under the banned levels."
Not everyone supports a protest.
"While I disagree with Torri's statements, STRONGLY, I don't understand how delaying a race counters his incorrect information?" Garmin-Transitions chief executive Jonathan Vaughters tweeted.
Vaughters, a former teammate of Lance Armstrong, added that he didn't think anyone from his team had been informed of the protest.
Gilbert won Thursday's warm-up race, the Gran Piemonte, and is favoured for another win in the Lombardia. His top challengers are 2009 world champion Cadel Evans, Frank Schleck and recent Spanish Vuelta winner Vincenzo Nibali.
The hilly race begins in Milan and follows a 260-kilometre route to the finish in Como.
