SB Nation User Blog: TheFigurehead

Puerto Revived: Schleck Suspended from Racing

TheFigurehead — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:27:26 -0000

Added by Gavia: Team CSC-Saxo Bank has provisionally suspended Fränk Schleck from racing (technically, on "inactive status"), pending further developments in the investigation of his dealings with Dr. Fuentes. According to available evidence, Schleck paid Fuentes 7000€ in March 2006. No evidence of further payments has yet surfaced. Schleck denies having ever used doping products, and claims he did not know Fuentes's true calling as Doping Provider to the Stars. On the advice of friends, he said, he ended the contact with Fuentes. Schleck has offered to provide a DNA sample, in the effort to prove that none of the blood still in Spanish custody belong to him. Exactly how such a matching would take place has never been tested.

Over the last two days, Schleck has met with the Luxembourg Anti-doping authorities and the UCI. It remains to be seen what decisions the authorities may make in his case. For now, Schleck remains suspended from racing with CSC-Saxo Bank.

Read the CSC-Saxo Bank press release, below the fold.

CSC issued a press release earlier today.

Team CSC Saxo Bank has received a thorough briefing from Fränk Schleck and awaits the Luxembourg Anti-doping committee's ruling and further information from the UCI.

The Luxembourg Anti-doping committee has had a preliminary meeting with Fränk Schleck on the basis of which it will be decided whether or not to open disciplinary proceedings concerning his proclaimed involvement in the Operacion Puerto. Fränk Schleck has also had a meeting with the UCI in order to explain himself.

Fränk Schleck has supplied the team as well the Luxembourg Anti-doping committee with the following information and evidence.

* He never used or attempted use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method.

* He has confirmed that he has made the bank transaction to the Swiss account in march 2006, in order to receive training advice by experts who presumably worked with some of the biggest names in the sport. At the time, Fränk Schleck had no reason to believe that this was not the case. There was no suspicion on his behalf of any unlawful action. He interrupted the contact after taking advice from his father and his near friends.

“For the moment, Fränk has to concentrate fully on this case and we will await further information from both the Luxembourg Anti-doping committee and the UCI in order to make an assessment of our further actions in relation to this. Together with Fränk, we have made the decision that he doesn't enter our race programme until we have had the chance to evaluate the outcome of this. We have given our main sponsors a full briefing of this matter and they fully support our actions in relation to this. We would like to express our sincere hope that Fränk comes out of this case in a way that is acceptable to him and to the team and we will do our utmost to make the most reasonable and sound decisions for him and for the team”, Riis continues.

There's much more, so read the whole thing.

Le Team de France et ze Worlds (or whatever)

TheFigurehead — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 13:30:28 -0000

RR: Stéphane Augé (Cofidis)
Sandy Casar (Francaise des Jeux)
Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis)
John Gadret (Ag2r-La Mondiale)
Christophe Le Mevel (Crédit Agricole)
Geoffroy Lequatre (Agritubel)
Amaël Moinard (Cofidis)
Jérôme Pineau (Bouygues Telecom)
Nicolas Vogondy (Agritubel)

TT: Sylvain Chavanel (Cofidis) and Jérôme Coppel (Francaise des Jeux).

And speaking of French riders, the French cycling federation have decided that Jimmy Casper can ride again after the Tour de France TUE incident.

(And here are som words to make it 75.)

Rabobank and Dekker breaks up

TheFigurehead — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 08:34:22 -0000

According to de Volkskrant, Thomas Dekker had variable blood values in may, reported by the UCI. This does not prove that Dekker is guilty of doping, but it adds to the other problems between Dekker and Rabobank, and they will break the contract.

Google translated quote:

Thomas Dekker and the Rabobank cycling team go from one another. Lawyers from both parties negotiate how and when the contract of the 23-year-old cyclist can best be terminated. Dekker had a commitment to the bank in 2010.

He is one of the riders in May of the international wielerunie UCI to hear that they were floating on blood. Several sources outside the bank confirm this. The UCI stressed that it was not abnormal and suspicious blood.

Dekker simply can participate in competitions and there is no reason to suspend the rider or dismiss. That a rider on variable values, it may indicate the use of banned substances. But there can be other causes. When Dekker is nothing suspicious in the light.

[...]

The findings of the UCI in May were a consequence of the introduction of the biological passport. It follows throughout the year, the physical condition of the athlete through blood and other test results. It is the latest weapon in the fight against doping, but the passport is in 2008 still in its early stages. There are no agreements made with sanctions for deviations in the profile of a cyclist.