Manolo Saiz arrested
- Thread starter thebluetrain
- Start date
I have followed the sport since the early 70's. I know full well about doping in cycling. But to see the total corruption at al levels of the sport is disturbing. { WADA, UCI......}MJtje said:
But with Ullrich I thought if anyone was innocent , he was. He just seem to have so much talent with not enough results to go with the talent. He seemed to be an underacheiver. I had hoped the reason was that he was clean. If we find out he has doped since 2004 that will really look bad for him..... Doing dope and still a lack of results....
The reason I would walk away is because of the intensity of the witchhunt of the riders. Back in the day the press did not seem to really care. The problem now is that there are going to be false accusations flying all over and who wants to watch a race thinking that the winner may be stripped of his title.
Back in the day the dope being used was available to all riders. Today the sport is turning to "doping labs."
Hamilton and Ullrich linked to Operación Puerto
Spanish newspaper El Pais has published its next two articles in relation to the 'Operación Puerto' affair, which has implicated 58 people in the world of cycling, including several members of the newly renamed Astana-Wurth team. El Pais is considered one of the top newspapers in the country, and Cyclingnews understands that it is in possession of the full 'Operación Puerto' dossier.
Although it is not known whether the Spanish courts will announce anything officially before the Tour de France, the information that has been leaked will likely put pressure on the UCI and ASO to reconsider Astana-Würth's invitation. ASO has already refused the right of Comunidad Valenciana to race the Tour, and the Spanish teams have been up in arms at what they claim is "orchestrated harassment" after the publication of confidential 'Operación Puerto' files.
Tyler Hamilton revisited
El Pais turned its attention away from Spanish cyclists in its first big article on Monday, "The transfusions and the dollars of Tyler Hamilton". In September 2004, Hamilton tested positive for a homologous blood transfusion after winning the time trial at the Vuelta a España. He also returned a positive A sample for a homologous transfusion after winning the Olympic games time trial a month previously in August. His B sample was inadvertently frozen, and no result could be determined from it. Although he is still in possession of his Olympic gold medal, he was stripped of his Vuelta stage win and suspended until September 22, 2006, despite appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
According to El Pais, the documents seized by the Spanish civil guard during Operacion Puerto show that Hamilton was not as innocent as he claimed. It's alleged that he not only received blood transfusions, but also a full doping program involving EPO, anabolics, growth hormone and IGF-1.
The paper claims that among the files of Dr Eufemiano Fuentes and Jose Merino Batres, are some details of Hamilton's financial dealings in 2002 and 2003, including a copy of a fax sent to his wife Haven to a hotel in Gerona, where he lived. On the fax, it's shown that he had paid €31,200 with €11,840 still owing: €35,000 was for the medical program, and €8,040 was for the medication.
The doctors' files allegedly consisted of two pages. In the first, a calendar of the racing season is laid out from November to October, with the races that the rider wanted to do well in being marked along with the medication that he should take. The markings were in the so-called "Sanskrit of Eufemiano", a notation system of substances, doses, and procedures. Before the 2003 season, Dr Fuentes indicated that Hamilton should start taking EPO from December 21, with 2000 units daily, up until Christmas Eve, and then on alternate days until January 9. On the 14th of January, before his first training camp with CSC, he was instructed to withdraw blood. On January 24, he was to start with anabolics. In March, after racing had started, he was to take HMG - a hormone used by menopausal women - to mask the anabolics, as well as taking growth hormone and insulin.
The second page of the file allegedly showed that he won Liège-Bastogne-Liège six days after a double transfusion of blood, won the Tour de Romandie shortly afterwards, and prepared for the Tour by not racing in May and taking anabolics and EPO. He then raced only the Dauphiné Libéré in June - completely anonymously, and didn't even start the final stage. At the time, he claimed to be suffering from stomach problems all week, but El Pais alleged that according to Dr Fuentes files, it was during another period of blood extraction. In the final lead up to the Tour, he was to take more growth hormone and re-infuse the blood, as well as doing so on the first rest day of the race.
Ullrich: the 'son of Rudy'?
In the second El Pais article, "The blood of the 'son of Rudicio'", it's alleged that Jan Ullrich and several others were among those earmarked for a blood transfusion. On May 23, when Jose Luis Merino Batres was arrested, he was carrying an accounts receivable book, which had the following written in the back of it:
1 - Hijo Rudicio. 2 - Birillo. 4 - Nicolas. 5 - Sevillano. 6 - Sancti Petri. 12 - Guti. 13 - Serrano (alcalde). 14 - RH. 16 - Vicioso. 17 - Porras. 19 - Oso. 20 - Bella (Jörg). 24 - Clasicómano (Luigi). 25 - Amigo de Birillo. 26-Huerta. 32 - Zapatero. 33 - Clasicómano.
The numbers corresponded to those on the blood bags that were seized from the apartment in Madrid, and the names were allegedly the nicknames of the athletes who owned the blood. Although some were obvious, it was speculated that the 'Hijo Rudicio', or 'son of Rudicio' referred to Jan Ullrich as the 'son' of Rudy Pevenage, Ullrich's long time mentor.
Furthermore, in a page of notes referring to the contents of one of the fridges dated June 26, 2004, it's recorded that on the top level of the refrigerator, there were three units of blood with JAN printed on them. A similar survey taken on May 15, 2006, showed six bags marked with number 1 [corresponding to 'Hijo Rudicio'], two dated 18/09/05, two dated 29/05/05, another dated 22/12/05, and one dated 20/02/06.
According to the doctors' the desk planner, number 1 had three units of blood and half of 'siberias' (frozen red cells) re-infused on May 1, which corresponded to five days before the Giro d'Italia. The next transfusion for number 1 was due on June 20, 10 days before the start of the Tour. That would have involved the removal of two units of blood and the re-infusion of two 'siberias'.
The Ullrich link is still clearly speculative, and T-Mobile's spokesman Luuc Eisenga told Cyclingnews today, "Obviously those accusations are very strong. It's difficult to react to articles in newspapers and therefore we insist on seeing the official documents in the case before we issue any further comment."
Spanish newspaper El Pais has published its next two articles in relation to the 'Operación Puerto' affair, which has implicated 58 people in the world of cycling, including several members of the newly renamed Astana-Wurth team. El Pais is considered one of the top newspapers in the country, and Cyclingnews understands that it is in possession of the full 'Operación Puerto' dossier.
Although it is not known whether the Spanish courts will announce anything officially before the Tour de France, the information that has been leaked will likely put pressure on the UCI and ASO to reconsider Astana-Würth's invitation. ASO has already refused the right of Comunidad Valenciana to race the Tour, and the Spanish teams have been up in arms at what they claim is "orchestrated harassment" after the publication of confidential 'Operación Puerto' files.
Tyler Hamilton revisited
El Pais turned its attention away from Spanish cyclists in its first big article on Monday, "The transfusions and the dollars of Tyler Hamilton". In September 2004, Hamilton tested positive for a homologous blood transfusion after winning the time trial at the Vuelta a España. He also returned a positive A sample for a homologous transfusion after winning the Olympic games time trial a month previously in August. His B sample was inadvertently frozen, and no result could be determined from it. Although he is still in possession of his Olympic gold medal, he was stripped of his Vuelta stage win and suspended until September 22, 2006, despite appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
According to El Pais, the documents seized by the Spanish civil guard during Operacion Puerto show that Hamilton was not as innocent as he claimed. It's alleged that he not only received blood transfusions, but also a full doping program involving EPO, anabolics, growth hormone and IGF-1.
The paper claims that among the files of Dr Eufemiano Fuentes and Jose Merino Batres, are some details of Hamilton's financial dealings in 2002 and 2003, including a copy of a fax sent to his wife Haven to a hotel in Gerona, where he lived. On the fax, it's shown that he had paid €31,200 with €11,840 still owing: €35,000 was for the medical program, and €8,040 was for the medication.
The doctors' files allegedly consisted of two pages. In the first, a calendar of the racing season is laid out from November to October, with the races that the rider wanted to do well in being marked along with the medication that he should take. The markings were in the so-called "Sanskrit of Eufemiano", a notation system of substances, doses, and procedures. Before the 2003 season, Dr Fuentes indicated that Hamilton should start taking EPO from December 21, with 2000 units daily, up until Christmas Eve, and then on alternate days until January 9. On the 14th of January, before his first training camp with CSC, he was instructed to withdraw blood. On January 24, he was to start with anabolics. In March, after racing had started, he was to take HMG - a hormone used by menopausal women - to mask the anabolics, as well as taking growth hormone and insulin.
The second page of the file allegedly showed that he won Liège-Bastogne-Liège six days after a double transfusion of blood, won the Tour de Romandie shortly afterwards, and prepared for the Tour by not racing in May and taking anabolics and EPO. He then raced only the Dauphiné Libéré in June - completely anonymously, and didn't even start the final stage. At the time, he claimed to be suffering from stomach problems all week, but El Pais alleged that according to Dr Fuentes files, it was during another period of blood extraction. In the final lead up to the Tour, he was to take more growth hormone and re-infuse the blood, as well as doing so on the first rest day of the race.
Ullrich: the 'son of Rudy'?
In the second El Pais article, "The blood of the 'son of Rudicio'", it's alleged that Jan Ullrich and several others were among those earmarked for a blood transfusion. On May 23, when Jose Luis Merino Batres was arrested, he was carrying an accounts receivable book, which had the following written in the back of it:
1 - Hijo Rudicio. 2 - Birillo. 4 - Nicolas. 5 - Sevillano. 6 - Sancti Petri. 12 - Guti. 13 - Serrano (alcalde). 14 - RH. 16 - Vicioso. 17 - Porras. 19 - Oso. 20 - Bella (Jörg). 24 - Clasicómano (Luigi). 25 - Amigo de Birillo. 26-Huerta. 32 - Zapatero. 33 - Clasicómano.
The numbers corresponded to those on the blood bags that were seized from the apartment in Madrid, and the names were allegedly the nicknames of the athletes who owned the blood. Although some were obvious, it was speculated that the 'Hijo Rudicio', or 'son of Rudicio' referred to Jan Ullrich as the 'son' of Rudy Pevenage, Ullrich's long time mentor.
Furthermore, in a page of notes referring to the contents of one of the fridges dated June 26, 2004, it's recorded that on the top level of the refrigerator, there were three units of blood with JAN printed on them. A similar survey taken on May 15, 2006, showed six bags marked with number 1 [corresponding to 'Hijo Rudicio'], two dated 18/09/05, two dated 29/05/05, another dated 22/12/05, and one dated 20/02/06.
According to the doctors' the desk planner, number 1 had three units of blood and half of 'siberias' (frozen red cells) re-infused on May 1, which corresponded to five days before the Giro d'Italia. The next transfusion for number 1 was due on June 20, 10 days before the start of the Tour. That would have involved the removal of two units of blood and the re-infusion of two 'siberias'.
The Ullrich link is still clearly speculative, and T-Mobile's spokesman Luuc Eisenga told Cyclingnews today, "Obviously those accusations are very strong. It's difficult to react to articles in newspapers and therefore we insist on seeing the official documents in the case before we issue any further comment."
i know it would be expensive and would take a lot of time, but if they DNA tested every bag of blood which was seized from Fuentes' apartment/lab, then they would know exactly who was working with him. those riders could get a 5 year ban or something ridiculously long enough to scare everyone else out of riding "dirty".
Possibly Sancti Petri = Santiago Perez (remember vuelta 2004), Guiti = Guitierrez (but there's more than one rider with that name), classicomano (possibly classics rider), Oso = unai oso, Vicioso = Angel Vicioso.musette said:
I'm not saying these are the names or even the article is factually correct.
This does look very very bad.
El Pais is reporting that Astana is out of the TDF.....
http://www.elpais.es/articulo/deportes/organizacion/Tour/Francia/rechaza/equipo/Manolo/Saiz/escandalo/dopaje/elppordep/20060626elpepudep_15/Tes/
http://www.elpais.es/articulo/deportes/organizacion/Tour/Francia/rechaza/equipo/Manolo/Saiz/escandalo/dopaje/elppordep/20060626elpepudep_15/Tes/
Jezus ! There will be no riders left to ride the Tour soon !
http://www.eurosport.co.uk/cycling/tour-de-france/2006/sport_sto914831.shtml
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/jun06/jun26news3
Alexander Vinokourov's 2006 Tour hopes are in jeopardy after organisers asked his Astana-Würth team to pull out of the race. Astana - born of the troubled former Liberty team - were told on Monday to declare they would forfeit the race or risk action to have them removed from the race line-up.
Race officials have warned Astana team bosses they face being taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport as organisers look to exclude the team on the basis of UCI guidelines.
The company that organises the Tour de France, ASO, said the UCI rule referring to "damage caused to the image of a race" enabled them to take such action after Liberty sporting director Manolo Saiz was arrested - and then released - along with five others as part of a police probe into doping in profressional cycling
Reports in the Spanish press last weekend claimed 58 riders were concerned by the police investigation - including 15 from the Astana-Würth team.
http://www.eurosport.co.uk/cycling/tour-de-france/2006/sport_sto914831.shtml
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/jun06/jun26news3
Alexander Vinokourov's 2006 Tour hopes are in jeopardy after organisers asked his Astana-Würth team to pull out of the race. Astana - born of the troubled former Liberty team - were told on Monday to declare they would forfeit the race or risk action to have them removed from the race line-up.
Race officials have warned Astana team bosses they face being taken to the Court of Arbitration for Sport as organisers look to exclude the team on the basis of UCI guidelines.
The company that organises the Tour de France, ASO, said the UCI rule referring to "damage caused to the image of a race" enabled them to take such action after Liberty sporting director Manolo Saiz was arrested - and then released - along with five others as part of a police probe into doping in profressional cycling
Reports in the Spanish press last weekend claimed 58 riders were concerned by the police investigation - including 15 from the Astana-Würth team.
MJtje said:
When I was young I partied all the time, went to too many Grateful Dead concerts and simply was wasting my life.
My uncle took me aside and told me that I need to do something constructive with my life, get involved with something wholesome. ............. "Get in involved with sports," was his advice. Stay away from drugs.
So I did. I got involved with cycling. But , today as I celebrate my 50th birthday I look back and think that there were fewer drugs at the Grateful Dead concerts I attended then in the TDF today......
"Party on Jan"
My uncle took me aside and told me that I need to do something constructive with my life, get involved with something wholesome. ............. "Get in involved with sports," was his advice. Stay away from drugs.
So I did. I got involved with cycling. But , today as I celebrate my 50th birthday I look back and think that there were fewer drugs at the Grateful Dead concerts I attended then in the TDF today......
"Party on Jan"
Now they want Astana Wurth out!
http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/10112.0.html
They gotta let Vino race. I need to see his ridiculous and relentless attacks!
PANDAMONIUM IN THE CYCLING WORLD TODAY
http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/10112.0.html
They gotta let Vino race. I need to see his ridiculous and relentless attacks!
PANDAMONIUM IN THE CYCLING WORLD TODAY
wolfix said:
At least Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, never denied what they did.
The only cyclist fit to join The Dead is Perez : he went away quietly.
Camezind, Museeuw, Armstrong, Virenque, Millar etc etc etc all denied.
Millar didnt deny.limerickman said:
Museeuw never admitted.
Armstrong never did PEDs...
otherwise we agree.
But as to who would make a good cyclist for the Dead...
no question!
Salvatore Commesso.
Off season positive for cocaine.
I saw him riding, no-handed, up a 11% gradient up Luz Ardiden 2003, drinking a beer a fan had just handed him laughing all the way at the 3 km to go mark.
TOOOOOOOOOO FUNNY for words.
Now thats a guy I admire!!!!!
bobke said:
..........yep none of them admitted anything but then they were all found out
That's the problem.
They have no ethical compass whatsoever. Deny and hope it all goes away.
bobke said:
At least Commesso's got a bit of personality.
TH: "I was very upset to read the accusations against me and to see my name associated with the "Operacion Puerto" investigation in Spain. I have not been treated by Dr. Fuentes. I have not done what the article alleges. In addition, I have never been contacted by authorities in Spain regarding these allegations. Therefore, it is impossible to comment on a situation I have no knowledge of."
Jezus ! Vino is going to get the UN involved soon ! Look out.... quick someone call Bush !
____________
We will use all means possible to be at the start of the Tour," Vinokourov told French newspaper L'Equipe. "I don't understand why they're stopping at the 15 riders of Liberty. If there are 58 [riders implicated], why don't they give the 58 names.
"And if they told me three weeks ago that we had no chance of riding the Tour, I would not have gone to get a new sponsor," said the Kazakh who got his country's cycling federation to back the team.
"Tomorrow [Tuesday] morning,the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan will call Jacques Chirac. It could become a diplomatic incident. The colours of our country are at stake and there are important French investors in our country."
____________
We will use all means possible to be at the start of the Tour," Vinokourov told French newspaper L'Equipe. "I don't understand why they're stopping at the 15 riders of Liberty. If there are 58 [riders implicated], why don't they give the 58 names.
"And if they told me three weeks ago that we had no chance of riding the Tour, I would not have gone to get a new sponsor," said the Kazakh who got his country's cycling federation to back the team.
"Tomorrow [Tuesday] morning,the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan will call Jacques Chirac. It could become a diplomatic incident. The colours of our country are at stake and there are important French investors in our country."
musette said:
Crazy ! The UCI are now claiming credit for Operation Porteo ! FOS !
________________
McQuaid told L'Equipe that it was he himself who alerted the Spanish Secretary of State for Sports in March - two months before the scandal broke:
"I sent a first letter to the minister to warn him of our worry in the reading of blood samples of certain Spanish riders that were in our possession. And that even though the anti-doping tests on these riders were negative."
"I'm not suggesting that the UCI is the instigator of this affair, but in this letter I forwarded the name of a doctor on which we had serious doubts," McQuaid added in an allusion to Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, boss of the Madrid lab at the heart of the scandal.
Last week, the UCI said in a statement "that it is still waiting for information to be provided by the Spanish authorities to open, if necessary, disciplinary procedure as foreseen by the regulations regarding riders and other persons involved in this matter."
________________
McQuaid told L'Equipe that it was he himself who alerted the Spanish Secretary of State for Sports in March - two months before the scandal broke:
"I sent a first letter to the minister to warn him of our worry in the reading of blood samples of certain Spanish riders that were in our possession. And that even though the anti-doping tests on these riders were negative."
"I'm not suggesting that the UCI is the instigator of this affair, but in this letter I forwarded the name of a doctor on which we had serious doubts," McQuaid added in an allusion to Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes, boss of the Madrid lab at the heart of the scandal.
Last week, the UCI said in a statement "that it is still waiting for information to be provided by the Spanish authorities to open, if necessary, disciplinary procedure as foreseen by the regulations regarding riders and other persons involved in this matter."
whiteboytrash said:
The UCI are in an unenviable position with the Kazakh sponsored Wurth team.
Its obvious the UCI are waiting for the all-clear from their lawyers before revoking the A-Wurth licence.
They certainly don't want to battle it out in the courst unless the case is watertight. A-Wurth would have huge resources and political influence at their disposal
Its obvious the UCI are waiting for the all-clear from their lawyers before revoking the A-Wurth licence.
They certainly don't want to battle it out in the courst unless the case is watertight. A-Wurth would have huge resources and political influence at their disposal
Extremist groups in Kazakhstan might take Pat McQuid hostage and demand that Vino ride.... Jacques Chirac will have to pressurise LeBlanc into letting Vino ride before Kofi Annan gets involved and under resolution 5.3 of the UN convention allowing doped riders to ride the Tour as long as the have either a) rock-star for a girlfriend or b) have written a book about themselves and how good they are or c) wear a really offensive looking riding kit.
wicklow200 said:
