Operation Puerto?

It seems pretty straighforward to me.

The Spanish judiciary isn't interested in going any further because they claim no Spainish laws were broken. Spanish cycling federation has no interest in suspending their OP riders.

UCI has no desire to go after riders if they can avoid it b/c it just causes bad press and the Spanish Judiciary seems to be blocking any effort of other groups to get information anyway.

the basically did a 'Ben Johnson' on Ullrich and Basso... knock out a few top guys to make it look like they are doing something... look at us... we are doing something, we're even willing to take out the top guys, that's how commited we are... Bull Pucky!!! while they leave 60+ others off scott free... it's pretty messed up and pretty unfair... the UCI are complete d!cks.

doctorSpoc said:

the basically did a 'Ben Johnson' on Ullrich and Basso... knock out a few top guys to make it look like they are doing something... look at us... we are doing something, we're even willing to take out the top guys, that's how commited we are... Bull Pucky!!! while they leave 60+ others off scott free... it's pretty messed up and pretty unfair... the UCI are complete d!cks.

The UCI didn't take out Ullrich and Basso. The Italians (Scarponi too) were taken out b/c Torre took over at CONI, just like he got rid of Mazzoleni and is after Di Luca. Before Torre they would all have skated thru untouched, just like Basso was about to do until Torre took over.

Ullrich was taken down because, again, someone was interested in looking into the matter.

Contrast that with the complete lack of any desire in Spain to suspend anyone. The Spanish Federation was even trying to negotiate a "plea deal" on behalf of its riders with the UCI at one point. Davis got a free ride by the Australian Feds, what has USAC ever done about Hamilton?

For someone to get suspended someone in the national federation or the group that handles their doping violations has to have some interest in suspending them.

Wayne666 said:

The UCI didn't take out Ullrich and Basso. The Italians (Scarponi too) were taken out b/c Torre took over at CONI, just like he got rid of Mazzoleni and is after Di Luca. Before Torre they would all have skated thru untouched, just like Basso was about to do until Torre took over.

Ullrich was taken down because, again, someone was interested in looking into the matter.

Contrast that with the complete lack of any desire in Spain to suspend anyone. The Spanish Federation was even trying to negotiate a "plea deal" on behalf of its riders with the UCI at one point. Davis got a free ride by the Australian Feds, what has USAC ever done about Hamilton?

For someone to get suspended someone in the national federation or the group that handles their doping violations has to have some interest in suspending them.

yeah, i think you're right... the UCI is more complicit than even i was saying...

wasn't it the german procecuters (not even the cycling federation) that got to Ullrich after Werner Franke managed to get his hands on the puerto docs and basically embarrased them into acting. collecting the samples from the spanish, testing and getting a match? followed it at the time but can't remember now... that period is a bit foggy. But it just goes to show you how easy it is to solve the puerto issue... swab everyone in the peleton's mouth and test it against the blood bags... puerto would be over in a matter of 2 weeks max.

in italy the italian federation lets everyone off that crosses their desk... it's CONI the olympic committee that seems to go after and investigate riders.. isn't Torri from CONI? like in the case of Petacchi and even Basso... the italian federation lets them off but CONI reopened Basso's case is taking Petacchi's case to CAS... and yes if you can say one thing about the spanish federation.. they take care of their own... BIG TIME!!

Wayne666 said:

It seems pretty straighforward to me.

The Spanish judiciary isn't interested in going any further because they claim no Spainish laws were broken. Spanish cycling federation has no interest in suspending their OP riders.

UCI has no desire to go after riders if they can avoid it b/c it just causes bad press and the Spanish Judiciary seems to be blocking any effort of other groups to get information anyway.

I would say, one can easily make a case for prosecution, if there was requisite political will.

There does not need to be a sporting fraud statute for fraud to exist in sport. Everyone profiting from sport when doping in a WADA regulated sport, exposes themself to prosecution.

Public health? Please, there must be some medical laws that Fuentes and his ilk contravened, and not just a nebulous hippacratic oath and medical ethics association regulations.

They could have found myriad of laws to prosecute them for. They did not wish to. Simple. They stood beside, no anti-doping statute. They could have prosecuted them under other statutes.

thunder said:

They could have found myriad of laws to prosecute them for. They did not wish to. Simple.

Of course. Spain still has a laissez-faire attitude toward doping across the board. It probably only added to their lack of willingness to take any action that there is the possibility that footballers were involved as well.

Italy seems to have more of a split personality with the riders and others still fine with the doping, but the cops and prosecutors busting them for several years now. CONI basically looked the other way if they could (much like the UCI) until Torre took over.

The UCI does not want more scandal. Its all about public image. They made the riders agree to give DNA samples to match the Puerto blood. Has any DNA been requested by the UCI? Nope. They are just hoping we fall asleep and assume everything is ok. I think Anne Gripper is probably sincere in her desire to catch these guys. Her bosses are not. My money is that Gripper will not last more than a year. McQuiad will not support her.

doctorSpoc said:

the UCI are complete d!cks.

+1

I couldn't agree more. The healing process for the cancer that has aflicted professional cycling can only begin after the tumor that is the UCI has been surgically removed. Rarely has there been a governing body in professional sport so blatently corrupt. Wait... actually I guess its not rare at all to see blatent corruption in the goerning bodies of professional sport. Strike that.

My only fear is that another tumor would just grow in its place. Where there is so much money and power involved, much like the pervasive and insidious nature of cancer, corruption in big dollar professional sport is almost guaranteed.

I don't think its a perect solution but I'm silently hoping that the row between the UCI and the ASO spells the iviability and demise of the UCI. We need to start over. Some how, governance over cycling - including doping controls - needs to be handled by an unbiased party. The UCI is just busy padding their own pockets and getting fat. 😠

I'm going to go ride my bike.

Bump

RdBiker said:

It's been a long time since Basso (+a few others) was given a two year suspension so now I've been wondering where are all the other names (and teams)?

They are all racing on Pro Continental teams except the ones that Bruyneel looked in their eyes and saw they were innocent. 😉

The Spanish will do whatever they can to prevent anyone from being punished. There is a good reason why the Americans like to live and train in Spain.

Bro Deal said:

They are all racing on Pro Continental teams except the ones that Bruyneel looked in their eyes and saw they were innocent. 😉

The Spanish will do whatever they can to prevent anyone from being punished. There is a good reason why the Americans like to live and train in Spain.

This week there was a story in El Mundo about the involvement of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid. I think that is the main reason to stop the Puerto investigation in Spain. Football (soccer) is to big in Spain....
The Germans don't dig further about the Fuentes connection with the Football world cup (a Fuentes center during the 2006 football worlds in Frankfurt) as well....