Lampre team doping ring

andyp

http://www.tuttobiciweb.it/index.php?pa ... 37681&tp=n


Cycling back into the eye of the storm. The Prosecutor of Mantova has closed its investigation of doping in cycling and will seek the indictment of 32 suspects: to confirm, today at around 14, was the prosecutor Antonino Condorelli who conducted the investigation started from the pharmacist Mariana Mantovana Guido Nigrelli. In all 32 involved has already come to notice of closure of the investigation and soon will follow the request of trial. In addition to the aforementioned Nigrelli - involving crimes committed between late 2008 and July 2009 - we are the Lampre team manager Giuseppe Saronni, technicians Fabrizio Bontempi and Maurizio Piovani, the masseur Fabio Della Torre, riders Alessandro Ballan, Marco Flag, Emanuele Bindi, Marzio Bruseghin, Damiano Cunego, Mauro Da Dalto, Francesco Gavazzi, Mirko Lorenzetto, Manuele Mori, Simone Ponzi, Mauro Santambrogio, Francesco Tomei and Daniele Pietropolli.
In addition, there are Francis and Geo Bonazzi, Michael Rasmussen, Sergio Gelati, Roberto Messina, former professional Paul Bosson, Peter Caucchioli, Massimiliano Mori and Mariano Piccoli, Sebastian Gilmozzi, Paolo Pezzi, Matthew Zambrone (footballer), Nicholas Jose and Castrini Ibarguren, Former medical Fuji Servetto.
At the heart of the business surveys and the use of substances such as EPO, ephedrine, somatropin, testosterone and cortisone.

frenchfighter

Wait, so all these riders mentioned above are suspected of doping or aiding doping enough to warrant an attempt at sanction? Big names in there.

iainf72

I wondered when this one would pop up again. Same stuff BMC looked at last year but it looks like there may be more emerging.

There were pretty strong rumours donkey boy was about to get nabbed a couple of years ago as well.

Anonymous

Oooh eck! 2009 World Champ for starters :shock:

Anonymous

Oooh eck! 2008 World Champ for starters :shock:

Didn't Ballan have a 'mystery virus' at the start of 2009?...

blazing_saddles

BMC's extensive internal investigation backfires.
Pat won't be happy with Phonak US's dirty laundry being exposed by those pesky Eyetalians.
Will Cadel jump ship?

Lampre? On borrowed time, it seems.

RichN95.

Blazing Saddles wrote:

BMC's extensive internal investigation backfires.

To be fair to BMC, they're not the police. BMC can't detain people for questioning, BMC can't get search warrants, BMC can't get e-mail/phone records etc. Any internal investigation is going to be limited however hard they try.

le_patron

iainf72 wrote:

I wondered when this one would pop up again

I'm still waiting for those '08 Giro CERA retests..... (sorry, feel it's my duty to ask every 12 months, maybe it happened)

andyp

CN have an English summary of the above;

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/italian ... o-on-trial

disgruntledgoat

Would that be Damiano "anti doping transfer tattoo" Cunego?

Colour me stunned

Kléber

I wouldn't be too hard on people here. First BMC suspended riders when other teams didn't, so they at least look better than Lampre.

Plus there's an element of "let's chuck em in court and see what happens", here don't you think?

Sadly Italian cycling still has lots to do to clean up its act but this story is not yet conclusive.

jerry3571

Damn! I had a lovely matching Tatoo to copy Cunego's Tatoo which is on my forehead. What's a guy to do now! I'll be a laughing stock!!!

inkyfingers

Maybe "I'm Doping Free" just meant that he wasn't paying for the stuff?!

iainf72

Lots of focus on Ballan. Transfusions in 09 - which didn't do him much good

disgruntledgoat

It would appear that, by dint of a couple of years with Savio, Gibo has dodged another bullet!

blazing_saddles

iainf72 wrote:

Lots of focus on Ballan. Transfusions in 09 - which didn't do him much good

Are there any links for this, Iain?

It's like an extended family business. Didn't Cunego have blood (virus) problems back in 2005?

iainf72

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/ballan- ... ransfusion

dave milne

Was quite happy to believe Ballan is clean. Will be disappointed if this is true

No_Ta_Doctor

dave milne wrote:

Was quite happy to believe Ballan is clean. Will be disappointed if this is true

Level of detail suggests they're fairly sure he isn't.

This stuff comes from phone taps etc.

shinyhelmut

inkyfingers wrote:

Maybe "I'm Doping Free" just meant that he wasn't paying for the stuff?!

frenchfighter

"The team was informed by the media about this list of names. From what we understand, the prosecutor in Mantua has conducted investigations against a number of people who could be part of his doping scandal, including riders and managers. To date, neither the team nor its legal representatives were notified of the news. When it is confirmed by an official, the team will take measures without delay in accordance with the judge's instructions in order to help him to clarify this situation."

Lampre

“I shop there for the simple reason that it is the only pharmacy that I know where I can get a discount,” he told TV2 Sport.

“All who in some way know the pharmacist have been questioned. I was in April last year, but I’m not accused of anything.”

He told Sporten.dk that he hadn’t purchased anything that was banned. “I have no idea why I was mentioned. I certainly accept that I bought veterinary products, face care for my wife and some vitamin preparations at the pharmacy.”

Rassmussen

“As far as the team is concerned, everything remains as normal. Everyone is going to be at the presentation [the pre-race presentation today],” he said. “There are no changes planned to the lineup.”

BMC

I am glad they are not pulling Ballan again.

It would be nice if concrete facts etc were reported and suspiscions were not.

disgruntledgoat

People aren't normally brought to court with that evidence stuff are they?

andyp

Why would Rasmussen travel two hours to get a 'discount'? Surely what he spent in petrol would be more than he saved? Or maybe he's getting confused about his whereabouts again?

FF - the facts are that the public investigator has recommended that 32 people are charged with various doping offences. This means it is a legal matter, way beyond anything sports authorities can do in terms of seriousness. How much more concrete do you need?

frenchfighter

Fair enough.

moray_gub

andyp wrote:

Why would Rasmussen travel two hours to get a 'discount'? Surely what he spent in petrol would be more than he saved? Or maybe he's getting confused about his whereabouts again?

FF - the facts are that the public investigator has recommended that 32 people are charged with various doping offences. This means it is a legal matter, way beyond anything sports authorities can do in terms of seriousness. How much more concrete do you need?

Still seems a lot of ifs buts and maybes about it all though, don't hold your breath for any convictions.

jerry3571

Seems bagged blood is the order of the day rather than EPO style products which unless a rider screws up ,Ricco style, seems a bit better for thier health in the long run; expensive mistake if a rider does screw up though.
This is technology from the 1960s; a bit old school in the Zatopec era.

-Jerry

ratherbeintobago

This is technology from the 1960s; a bit old school in the Zatopec era.

It is and it isn't. The problem is that transfusions reduce the reticulocyte (immature red blood cell) count as intrinsic blood production is suppressed; EPO on its own leads to a massive rise in reticulocyte count. Hypothetically, the way to do it is probably a combination of transfusion (to increase red cell mass) and microdosed EPO to keep the reticulocyte count in proportion (it's normally 05-1.5%) - which (one would imagine) is a difficult balance and one of the reasons that the biological passport looks at these variables.

Andy

jerry3571

If there was one of those Emoticon thingys to the left of screen which was clapping then I would have put that instead of me writing a big long sentence that goes on and on and on and...

Nicely explained Sir!

-Jerry