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lili
Stagiaire
USA
9 Posts |
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KD teammate
Hors Categorie
Denmark
5683 Posts |
 Posted - 01/11/2007 : 18:44:04
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The T-mobile affair
This week we recieved news about the T-mobile affair. Sinkewitz was tested positive in 2007 for his use of testosterone, and now he has testified all his doping violations and knowledge about doping to the German Cycling Federation. Here you have it in bullet points:
- Sinkewitz acted on his own when he doped in 2007. He told there was no doping supply at T-mobile in 2007.
- Sinkewitz was part of the Tour team in 2006, and told the team doctors organised blood doping for several of the riders. In spite of Ullrich getting suspended from the team, they still recieved blood doping in Tour de France 2006.
- Sinkewitz apparently pointed out doctors and team doctors at Quickstep (2003+2004) and T-mobile (2005+2006) who supplied him.
- Today there was a police raid on the workingplace and houses of Dr.Schmid and Dr.Heinrich (former team doctors of T-mobile). The German public prosecuter will now do a narrow investigation of all seized material, but since the doctors already in May 2007 was accused for doping supply in the 90s, they could easily have deleted all incriminating material in the last couple of months. So far the doctors have been reported not to collaborate with the investigation body.
Of course the most interesting part of this story, relates to the fact, that Sinkewitz talks about organised doping also in 2006. Previously it was speculated, that the organised doping at T-mobile ended in the 90s. Now it seems more likely, that it only changed in 2007. Comments from Stapleton are not denying or questioning the claims from Sinkewitz, but instead he underlines that there clearly was some doping related problems with the old team and the old management (Kummer and Ludwig).
We can now start to speculate: Was all T-mobile riders doped in 2006, or was it only the GT-riders? And what about Quickstep?
Number of doped riders in Tour de France 2007
The first part of this story is posted on page2. Today we received this clarification from the Lausanne laboratorium about the numbers.
www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2007/nov07/nov01news2
- 47 out of 189 riders raced on blood transfusions or EPO.
- There was even more riders with positive indications on the use of testosterone and growth hormone.
- It was indicated that around 80% of the peleton was still using growth hormone!
The numbers clearly illustrates how big the doping problem still was in 2007, and that todays doping tests are most often not good enough to detect all the doped riders. Like I have reported in the topic "Damsgaard has published CSC antidoping results", this is why everybody hopes that the new "biological passport", next year will be able to detect those cheaters, that arent detected by conventional doping tests. The "biological passport" is still not validated enough to suspend the riders from the sport, but it will most likely be used to give riders tempoary start suspensions from the next race. In fact Tour de France has already announced, that they want to use the "biological passport" exactly that way in 2008. As I see it, the "biological passport" will most likely deminish the number of doping users with a great percentage. But I wouldnt be surprised, if some few riders figure out how to also trick the biological passport. Anyway, I really look forward to learn the positive "unscientific" screaning numbers in 2008 (and believe it will be a lot lower than in 2007).  |
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KD teammate
Hors Categorie
Denmark
5683 Posts |
Posted - 07/11/2007 : 14:34:49
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Confession from Bo Hamburger
Today Hamburger released his book, where he confessed the use of EPO and growth hormone from 1995-1997, while he was riding for TVM. His confession adds a little bit more to the picture of doping problems in the 90s. In a Danish context, all our big riders from the mid 90s have now confessed (exept for Rolf Sřrensen). In regards of Rolf Sřrensen, we however already know that he used EPO in 1993, according to court documents from the "Conconi case". If there are any solidarity left amoung the ex-riders, they should all step forward and confess. Right now we all clearly understand, that doping was used by all riders in the 90s, and considered a secret but accepted part of the Cycling World in all countries.
Speaking about the Hamburger confession, I however dont like, that he has chosen only to confess 50% of his doping past. In april 2001 he was tested positive for EPO in his A-sample, but because of mistakes in the laboratory with his B-sample, he wasnt convicted guilty. But given our knowledge, that basicly 50%-80% of the riders was blood manipulated from 1997-2006, then its hard to believe that Hamburger for some special reason chose to ride clean in the last part of his career from 1997-2006. Moreover its kind of strange when he claims, that he stopped using EPO in spring 1997, and therefor his silver medal won in the world championships (sep.1997), was won fair and square.
What can we learn from all this?
Be carefull not to believe, that when a ride confess his use of doping, then he will always tell you the entire truth. Most often they prefer only to confess some selective parts of their doping history, and sometimes they even prefer to twist the truth, to try and regain some sympathy in the public! In the light of all the recent confessions from T-mobile about the 90s, there has also developed a general understanding among riders, to try and draw a line in 1999, to protect the existing Cycling world against all the dirt from the past. In 2007 we however learned from blood tests done by the UCI laboratorium, that this percentage of the riders continued to manipulate their blood:
........1996: Reported to be over 80%!
1997-2004: Estimated to be 50%-80%.
2005-2006: Reported to be 50%.
........2007: Reported to be 25%. But the number using growth hormones (where no doping test currently exist), was indicated to be 80%!
So we should not expect to hear the entire truth, just because a rider suddenly chooses to make his prepared confession. 
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Edited by - KD teammate on 10/01/2008 22:15:49 |
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KD teammate
Hors Categorie
Denmark
5683 Posts |
Posted - 21/11/2007 : 12:20:06
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Confession from Patrik Sinkewitz
This is a short recap with some interesting info, from Der Spiegels interview with Sinkewitz. Below you find a link to the article.
- He didnt recieve any doping, when riding for the "Mapei youth team" in 2001+2002.
- When riding for Quickstep in 2003-2005 he used EPO, Synachten and Cotisone. He learned how to take the drugs partly from experienced riders and partly from doctors. There was a general understanding on the team, that "all professional riders did it". He learned that EPO was not tracable after 6 days, so he just avoided testing positive by stopping the treatment 5 days ahead of a race. At that time, their was basicly no out of competition tests at all, so their was no risk to get caught.
- When riding for T-mobile in 2006, he asked the Freiburg doctors if it was possible for him to get autologous blood doping. He made a visit to the Freiburg clinic 4 or 5 times in 2006, to get/prepare some blood doping "treatments". First time he got boosted with blood doping was April 2006, and he also bought some epo in spring 2006. The last experience with blood doping, was after the first stage of Tour de France 2006, where he traveled from Strasburg to Freiburg. He was planned to get reinfused with 2 blood bags (one for the first week, and one for the second week of the Tour). But Dr.Schmid discovered that the bags accidently was "contaminated", and the transfusion got cancelled. After Ullrich was suspended from the team in July, the doctors stoped the blood doping program.
- When riding for T-mobile in 2007, he only continued to dope with Cortisone and Testosterone. The risk of getting caught with the teams new internal testing program had become too great. He was under no pressure from the team to improve his performance, but since he wasnt satisfied with his results in the spring, he wanted to improve with the help of testosterone. On June 7 he rubbed his arm with 25mg Testosterone gel, and 24 hours later he submitted a positive doping test. When doing the test he wasnt nervous at all, since he assumed, that the amount he had used would be undetactable. Sinkewitz further explained: "I also didnt feel, that I had done anything wrong. Taking something to improve my performance, just happened to be a part of my life."
- In regards of payment to the Freiburg doctors for blood doping treatments, Sinkewitz explained he had no expense (only 50 euro pr. blood bag). He assumed it was without expense since the doctors already had the equipment as part of their clinic. The German public prosecutor has however started an investigation about "money laundry" and "tax cheat", because the doctors was alleged to have big amounts of money transfered from the riders or the team.
www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,515459,00.html
The Confession from Sinkewitz, kind of put Ullrichs case into perspective. So far nothing has linked Ullrich to the Freiburg case, but as we all know, he was clearly involved with Fuentes. As it stands right now, its however likely, that Ullrich was not doing something his teammates wasnt doing in Freiburg. He was just using a different doctor to prepare the doping.  |
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KD teammate
Hors Categorie
Denmark
5683 Posts |
Posted - 26/11/2007 : 17:28:53
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Confession from Patrik Sinkewitz (part 2)
Only few days after the first confession, Sinkewitz launched part 2, where he confessed also to have doped in his early years.
- During the World Championship 2000 in France, the German national coach (Peter Weibel) measured several blood values on Sinkewitz with a hematocrite level above 50. Sinkewitz was told by Weibel that he had to cancel the race, with such high values, and together they agreed to claim in public, that the rider had traveled home due to getting sick with a cold. Both the German National Federation (BDR) and Weibel, knew the reason was elevated hematocrite due to the use of EPO. Sinkewitz was buying the EPO himself from a certain apoteque, and also did the injections only by his own. But he claims that Weibel knew about it, and adviced him to be careful.
- Sinkewitz also made this statement about Quickstep:
"At QuickStep there was taken care of everybody, and everybody knew Who, What and Where. This was systematic doping for sure. Lefevere is a little bit naive in a special way, but its unlikely that he didnt knew what was going on. He has been part of the cycling family in 30 years."
www.sueddeutsche.de/,tt1m1/sport/weitere/artikel/810/144484/ |
Edited by - KD teammate on 26/11/2007 18:00:20 |
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KD teammate
Hors Categorie
Denmark
5683 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2007 : 20:04:15
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The T-mobile affair 2006
This week a German newspaper has reported some extracts from the report of the investigating committee, who worked to figure out the extend of the doping problem at T-mobile in 2006. The main source for the investigation is the testimony from Patrick Sinkewitz. As we all remember, this report was the reason why T-mobile recently decided to withdraw as sponsor for the team. So perhaps you are not surprised to hear, that this report indeed is containing some sad conclusions.
According to the newspaper, the report concludes that at least 5 T-mobile riders on the Tour de France team recieved blood doping after stage 1 in 2006. Just like Sinkewitz, the other riders drove in a car from Strasbourg to Freiburg. The riders are so far not mentioned by name. However, Werner Franke who was a member of the investigation committee has hinted, that "everyone can have a look of who was riding well on the stage 7 ITT.
Result of stage 7:
1 Gonchar (T-Mobile)
2 Landis (Phonak): +1.00
3 Lang (Gerolsteiner): +1.04
4 Rogers (T-Mobile): +1.24
5 Larsson (Francaise Des Jeux): +1.33
6 Sinkewitz (T-Mobile): +1.38
7 Fothen (Gerolsteiner): +1.41
8 Klöden (T-Mobile): +1.43
http://radsportnews.net/cgi-bin/newsscript.pl?record=969
In the future, I think we have to keep an eye on "what is a normal time trial". During the 2 individual time trials in TDF 2007, T-mobile and Team CSC had 0 riders in top10. Instead some other teams like Astana, Discovery and Caisse d'Epargne started to look very suspicious, with having more than 2 riders in top10!
Stage 13 in TDF 2007 (54km ITT):
1 Vinokourov (Astana):
2 Evans (Predictor-Lotto): +1.14
3 Klöden (Astana): +1.39
4 Kashechkin (Astana): +1.44
5 Wiggins (Cofidis): +2.14
6 Popovych (Discovery): +2.16
7 Contador (Discovery): +2.18
8 Chavanel (Cofidis): +2.38
9 Leipheimer (Discovery): +2.39
Stage 20 in TDF 2007 (56km ITT):
1 Leipheimer (Discovery):
2 Evans (Predictor-Lotto): +0.51
3 Karpets (Caisse d'Epargne): +1.56
4 Popovych (Discovery): +2.01
5 Contador (Discovery): +2.18
6 Ivan Gutierrez (Caisse d'Epargne): +2.27
7 Hincapie (Discovery): +2.33
8 Pereiro (Caisse d'Epargne): +2.36
9 Hoste (Predictor-Lotto): +2.48
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12 Cancellara (CSC): +2.55 -in spite of being the ITT world champ!
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Edited by - KD teammate on 07/12/2007 20:55:42 |
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Paul@CSC
World Champion
United Kingdom
1416 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2007 : 22:27:30
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I'm pretty sure Fabian crashed in that ITT, he did however ride it in very poor conditions as I was by the side of the road waching, it was very very windy, grey, raining and not ideal conditions at all.
By the time the later riders came through the weather had changed significantly and the sun was out, the wind had also dropped, so your point is mute!.
Although that doesn't mean I don't agree with what you are saying in principle, you do read way to much into the facts and figures without any actual first hand knowledge sometimes KD, which makes you comments appear statements of fact
http://pauljones-journey.spaces.msn.com/
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KD teammate
Hors Categorie
Denmark
5683 Posts |
Posted - 07/12/2007 : 23:36:26
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Cheers. I clearly remember that Cancellara crashed on stage 13, and was hunted by bad weather on stage 20. However, this doesnt change my point above. If Cancellara had been in top10 in both time trials (or even won both of them), the top10 composition would still have appeared rather strange to me, in regards of Astana, Discovery and Caisse d'Epargne!
My point is, that its rather strange to have one single team performing with minimum 3 riders in top10 on a time trial in Tour de France (with all the specialists competing against each other). Its not logical that some teams are suddenly being that kind of superior.
My personal note above, was not ment as being the conclusion about who was doped. But rather an input to make people reflect, and do their own thoughts. There can easily be natural explanations for some of the results above. For my own record, I am just hearing the alarm bell, when some teams are becoming too dominant in the results. |
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Paul@CSC
World Champion
United Kingdom
1416 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 12:13:11
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I agree with what your saying, it isn't normal to see this type of domination by so many so late in a GT, especially all from the same team!.
And especially results from Contador and Leipheimer, neither of who I rate as ITT riders particularly, discounting Fabian, there are plenty of other riders in the peleton who should have beated those guys !!
http://pauljones-journey.spaces.msn.com/
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Green Machine
Hors Categorie
Sweden
2342 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 12:47:47
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It is going to be very interesting to see the performances in many teams now when 1) more teams have stricter internal anti-doping programs 2) the testing is more intense and better.
How for example will the Astana riders perform? |
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sander
Hors Categorie
Belgium
2339 Posts |
Posted - 09/12/2007 : 13:52:02
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It could be that the Astana riders will have less good results, but I don't think so. I think they'll still find a way to cheat, with all that new stuff coming on the market like Dynepo, I don't know if Damsgaard can track it. Astana has never got an anti-doping policy like CSC had, even before they had the anti-doping tests.
Winner of the Vuelta Fantasy Game 2007 |
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KD teammate
Hors Categorie
Denmark
5683 Posts |
Posted - 10/01/2008 : 21:27:18
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The T-mobile affair 2006 (part 3)
An investigation committee (with among others, Werne Franke) has been hired by the Freiburg clinic to investigate what happened in the practise of Dr.Schmid and Dr.Heinrich in 2006. Below you find the main conclusions listed, from this new article in Velonews:
- When riders was visiting the Freiburg clinic, each one had their own special medical journal. The journals of the T-mobile riders was easy to identify in the system, since they all was archived with the name of the official team adress.
- The investigation panel, found at least two allegedly faked names in patient documents from the 2005 T-mobile team, that so far havent been identified. The values associated with the two samples were "near or even over limits" for hematocrit and other measures.
- The doctors applied stickers of cartoon characters, like Mickey Mouse, to identify the blood they had in storage. The blood was all stored down in the basement in some refrigiators.
- Witness accounts has varied as to the precise number of riders who arrived in Freiburg on July 2 in 2006, but its at least five and possibly six or all seven riders from the reduced Tour team. Records show that it was Dr.Schmid who was on duty that night, but he was definatly not alone, since there was so much work to be done, that it also required help from other persons.
- In October 2007, police seized the computers along with extensive notes from both T-mobile doctors labs. The public prosecutor has stated, that "it will take some time to analyse, because parts of the hard disk were deleted, but our experts are working to restore it". Depending on the outcome of this investigation, Dr.Schmid and Dr.Heinrich could face penalties ranging from fines to as many as five years in jail.
www.velonews.com/news/fea/13869.0.html
Austrian blood doping scandal
They were not only doing blood doping in Germany and Spain. As late as 2006, there was witnesses pointing out blood doping activity in the laboratory in Vienna named "Humanplasma". Athletes primarily from Cycling and the Skiing sport, was visiting the clinic outside normal opening time, and often at sunday mornings. The manager of the laboratory, Dr.Lothar Baumgartner, however refused any such claims.
WADA asked the Austrian authoraties to start official investigations about the affair in a letter dated Nov.23, 2007. These investigations have now been started by the sports minister Reinhold Lopatka, and in case the investigators find sufficient proofs, the case will be transfered to the judical prosecutors. Currently these 2 preliminary investigations are running:
1) WADA requested investigation. The ministry of Interior and the Austrian kriminalpolizei determine wether or not to start a legal case.
2) Investigation requested by an Italian prosecutor, with the public prosecutor in Vienna to determine wether or not to start a legal case.
Blood doping is not illegal for athletes to do in Austria, so none of the implicated athletes will risk to get accused in a civil court. However the sports federations should be interested to eventualy start some cases in the sports court. The president of the Austrian Skii Federation (ÖSV) however stated, that they more or less have known since summer 2007, that blood doping was going on at the clinic, but so far they lacked a principal witness or some fysical proof, to start any new official procedures. The Austrian cycling federation has so far not made any official comments.
The case started during the 2006 winter olympics in Torino, where the Austrian biathlon team was caught with 20 blood bags. Those blood bags was prooven to origin from the "Humanplasma" laboratory in Vienna. Moreover there were proof of the laboratory being in possesion of some blood storing equipment, in order to freeze down the blood at -80 degrees. All of those working at the laboratory, however testified not to know anything of blood doping or any athletes visiting the lab. The Biathlon athletes Wolfgang Perner and Wolfgang Rottman were identified as being guilty of blood doping, and it was prooven they got help from their trainer Emil Hoch and Walter Mayer. Those 4 persons have now been suspended. Other names are still unknown.
In Austria there are rumours about names of certain riders and whole professional teams, who could have done the following: Flight from Frankfurt to Mallorca with intermediate stop in Vienna, although it would have given direct flights. The luggage is checked, a few passengers misses purely coincidentally the connection flight, and takes the airplane with the same flight number -however on the next day. In the meantime they could easily visit the Vienna lab, without anyone being suspicious about their travel patterns.
Full report in Austrian (incl. 4 background pages): http://kurier.at/sportundmotor/119138.php
Short report in English: www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSLAU97883220080109 |
Edited by - KD teammate on 11/01/2008 13:38:17 |
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Vicky
Neo Pro
61 Posts |
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KD teammate
Hors Categorie
Denmark
5683 Posts |
Posted - 15/01/2008 : 17:09:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Vicky
Georg Totschnig, Michael Rasmussen, Michael Boogerd and Denis Menchov clients of the Austrian doping laboratory?
http://sport.ard.de/sp/radsport/news200801/15/wiener_blutbank_rasmussen.jsp
Thanks for posting the link. ARD normaly use reliable sources for their news, so eventhough nothing is prooven yet, I expect the names of the 4 riders to be true. This case will indeed be interesting to follow. Let's hope that all 30 implicated athletes will get identified, and held responsible. To be honest I have for a long while suspected Tobias Angerer and the German biathlon skiiers (both women and men), since they have been so superior. So it wont surprise me, if their implication indeed can be prooven. |
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fluke
Hors Categorie
2018 Posts |
Posted - 17/01/2008 : 19:14:49
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The German television channel ARD that brought the news is now swallowing their words about the Austrian bloodbank.
They regret they brought the news and says that it was not right of them to tell the news without proof. |
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Doping affairs in Cycling since 1980
