Doping Ring in Girona + responses to Tondo's revelation

[Darryl Webster]

. The reports say it's the first time they document the use of PEDs on minors.

Are they calling a minor under 18 or under 16 hrotha?

Iether way it`s shocking news but especialy so if under 16.
This is EXACTLY why combating PED`s is so important.
With the internet making every idea and virtualy any product available its only a matter of time before some kid tries what came so close to killing Ricco recently and does kill themselves.
Kid`s are like that...they do stupid things.
Thats the responsibility Pro sports have in fighting PED use, forget ideas of "fair" racing..drugs or no drugs fair doesnt have much to do with it.
When that kid dies there blood will be on the hands of the appoligists.

 

[pedaling squares]

Chapeau, Tondo.

 

[Moose McKnuckles]

Who's going to chase Tondo down to "protect the interests of the peloton" now? Wigans?

 

[pedaling squares]

Who's going to chase Tondo down to "protect the interests of the peloton" now? Wigans?

He'd have to wait until they hit the flats.

 

[Willy_Voet]

Chapeau, Tondo.

Ditto. Earned a new fan here.

 

[Ecowarrior18]

Ditto. Earned a new fan here.

+1

I would hope that the influance of Carlso Sastre has had something to do with it.

Mind you I was a little surprised CS joined Mauro Gianetti at GEOX.

Really hope he isn't run out of the sport for acting bravely.

 

[hrotha]

I'd be surprised if Tondo faced any reprisals from exposing what appears to be a pretty small doping ring for amateurs. Even the most radical cynic would agree it's good PR.

Are they calling a minor under 18 or under 16 hrotha?

Under 18.

 

[D-Queued]

I have more trust on Tondo than on virtually any other Spanish rider right now, and not only because of this news.

Here's a police video of the EPO, clenbuterol, ephedrine, urbason, testoviron depot and RadioShack Lance Armstrong poster found.

LOL... where there is doping, cancer is always lording over it. Did you notice if it was signed?

But, who was on the computer screen? Spartacus?

Dave.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

So i take it at the end of this season Moviestar will let Tondo go for unknown reasons to the general public (or something cheesy....like 'he didn't perform up to standard') and that will be that on Tondo's career, maybe back to Andulucia Carasjur if he is lucky (are they even still around?)

I think Abarcá Sports will judge Tondó's performance on merit. There are two male pros from Iberia who have been BikePure members, both have raced for Unzué. There haven't been many busts of Unzué's guys in a long time (though they've had Valverde racing under a cloud, the evidence dated from his Kelme days, and of course Rui Costa falls under both categories but was proven innocent). On the other hand characters like Francisco Pérez and Juanjó Cobo have found their way there (though I would be very surprised if Juanjó was doping last year) and of course they have Rubén Plaza and Francisco Ventoso on the squad this year.

I think it appears Abarcá are more a "don't ask don't tell" team than an organised doping one.

Xavier Tondó is also something of a paranoiac. He was the one that said that he didn't know if he could believe Contador's tainted meat story, but simply because Contador raised the possibility of it he was reluctant to eat beef anymore.

 

[ElChingon]

I think from how the items were stored that this is only the distribution and not the main source of this operation. Then they quickly state "No Pro's are involved", sure they don't need it nor ever have been using it especially since a Pro was contacted about the sale of said items they must not of known Tondo was a pro, especially since he was on the guys FaceBook friends list. I wonder if the guy categorized his friends as, sold-to, no-sale, bartering, source. Then they go and list the minor so as to distract from the overall issue, they need to get to the source and I don't believe they could steal so much EPO and go unnoticed! Who are they trying to fool?

 

[Moncoutie]

Congrats to Tondo. I know he hasn't exposed a massive ring but the size of the operation isn't whats important, thats he's exposed it is what matters.

 

[mewmewmew13]

Chapeau, Tondo.

Yes! It takes courage to make your own stand....way to go Tondo.

 

[mewmewmew13]

I think Abarcá Sports will judge Tondó's performance on merit. There are two male pros from Iberia who have been BikePure members, both have raced for Unzué. There haven't been many busts of Unzué's guys in a long time (though they've had Valverde racing under a cloud, the evidence dated from his Kelme days, and of course Rui Costa falls under both categories but was proven innocent). On the other hand characters like Francisco Pérez and Juanjó Cobo have found their way there (though I would be very surprised if Juanjó was doping last year) and of course they have Rubén Plaza and Francisco Ventoso on the squad this year.

I think it appears Abarcá are more a "don't ask don't tell" team than an organised doping one.

Xavier Tondó is also something of a paranoiac. He was the one that said that he didn't know if he could believe Contador's tainted meat story, but simply because Contador raised the possibility of it he was reluctant to eat beef anymore.

I don't agree with labeling him a 'paranoic'....I think it shows intelligence. Every athlete is ultimately responsible for what goes into his/her body, so to err on the side of caution---maybe beef isn't one of his favorites anyway, so it's a decision that may not have been a big sacrifice.
Almost every day in the States there is some article on contaminated (in some way not necessarily drugs) beef, the incidents should make almost anyone shy away from it.
cheers

 

[BroDeal]

I don't agree with labeling him a 'paranoic'....I think it shows intelligence. Every athlete is ultimately responsible for what goes into his/her body, so to err on the side of caution---maybe beef isn't one of his favorites anyway, so it's a decision that may not have been a big sacrifice.
Almost every day in the States there is some article on contaminated (in some way not necessarily drugs) beef, the incidents should make almost anyone shy away from it.
cheers

He might be paranoid. There he is, a pro cyclist. He receives an unsolicited e-mail offering to sell him dope. What does he do? He could delete the e-mail and forget about it, but an operation sloppy enough to send out e-mails like that is bound to get busted. Does he want a leak to the press that he was one of those receiving e-mail from the doping ring? He could also be suspicious that he is being set up. An easy way out is to turn the e-mail over to the authorities and distance himself from whatever is going on. The serious doping operations used by his fellow pros don't need to solicit new customers with e-mail anyway, so it is not like he is damaging the interests of his fellow pros.

 

[mewmewmew13]

He might be paranoid. There he is, a pro cyclist. He receives an unsolicited e-mail offering to sell him dope. What does he do? He could delete the e-mail and forget about it, but an operation sloppy enough to send out e-mails like that is bound to get busted. Does he want a leak to the press that he was one of those receiving e-mail from the doping ring? He could also be suspicious that he is being set up. An easy way out is to turn the e-mail over to the authorities and distance himself from whatever is going on. The serious doping operations used by his fellow pros don't need to solicit new customers with e-mail anyway, so it is not like he is damaging the interests of his fellow pros.

Brodeal, you may be searching a little too hard for a psychological explanation on this one....but Libertine may well be correct after all. She said Tondo is one of her favorite riders and I trust she knows his foibles far better than I.

Anyway, do you agree he did a fortuitous thing or do you maintain that he sort of fumbled his way into exposing the ring?
cheers, mew

 

[D-Queued]

Tondo has accomplished major personal PR here.

Dave.

 

[Polish]

Tondo has accomplished major personal PR here. If only Lance had exposed a doping ring in Girona while he lived there.

Then we could be certain that he didn't dope.

Odd that he didn't think about that.

Dave.

Dave, Lance DID expose a Spanish Doping Ring.
Although he downplayed the 'Spanish" part....

I guess that means Lance certainly did not dope?

http://autobus.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2004/jun04/jun08news2

Armstrong's warning
On the eve of the second stage of the Dauphiné Libéré in France, US Postal Service spokesman Jörg Muller confirmed that Lance Armstrong did send an e-mail to the Tour de France, UCI, and WADA warning of a specific doping method, as described in former Tour adjunct director Daniel Baal's new book, released Tuesday.

Despite insinuations by the French newspaper Le Monde that Armstrong's concern over the possible use of synthetic haemoglobin (derived from bovine blood) in the peloton was directed at his Spanish rivals in particular, Baal and the team both insist that the message was one of general interest and not an attack by the American.

"I saw the e-mail with my own eyes and there was nothing mean-spirited in Armstrong's message," Baal said, quoted in Tuesday's l'Equipe. "He said it in his usual fashion: Do what you can to look into this product..."

US Postal added that "He never accused the Spanish. We're surprised that the information would come out like that, as it can only spark a fight between the riders."

 

[rhubroma]

Aside from Jordi Riera, nope. At this point (we'll see later on I suppose) it looks like this ring didn't really deal with pros - but then you have to wonder why they offered their stuff to a pro rider who tipped the police off. The clients were bodybuilders, federated (but not pro) cyclists, endurance athletes, triathletes, what have you. The reports say it's the first time they document the use of PEDs on minors.

It's the same in Italy. The Basso's sister's case is practically identical: the amateurs, the gym, etc.

And then there's a case in Lazio, which I don't think made this site, but was wide scale about 7-8 years ago after a 40ish year old cyclist died training because of EPO. It was led by NAS and an entire doping ring was brought down, involving a former amateur world champion that I personally knew.

This has not, of course, ended the problem.

 

[Dallas_]

more names and info

Found this article(before google translate) from 18th of feb

http://www.marca.com/2011/02/18/ciclismo/1298052580.html

"12,000 doses are anabolic, growth hormones, stimulants and blood products, specifically 46 pre-filled syringes erythropoietin (EPO), 432 tablets and 200 cc injections of clenbuterol, twenty bottles of blood product and 32 cubic centimeters Solcoseryl trenbolone"

Jordi Riera allegedly supplied to bodybuilders, other sporting people as well as under 17 years coaching.

Prats de Lluçanès, who raced the Giro d'Italia in 2003 for Kelme is implicated. More info on him in google translate, but me no comprene

Amateur cyclist - Miguel Angel GB of Gironella allegedly a user and distributor also injecting customers as needed

BT Xavier of Barcelona allegedly stole EPO from hospital to supply Michelangelo GB(person or entity??)


Help, will need hrotha or someone else to read the original spanish page(before google translate) to edit this as needed?

have a good day

 

[hrotha]

Prats de Lluçanès is Jordi Riera's hometown.

Riera supplied PEDs to several kids he coached, one of whom was a minor at the time (but is now over 18).

The ring imported their drugs from Portugal (often counterfeit medicines), bought them at an Andorran pharmacy which got them from the internet, or stole them from a hospital. (If you ask me, this comes to show once more you don't even need specific antidoping or sport fraud laws to be able to fight doping legally).

Their clients were the usual stuff: bodybuilders, generic gym jocks, amateur cyclists (masters, cyclosportive riders, that sort of thing).

There's no evidence that emailing potential clients was part of their normal modus operandi, Tondo aside, or that other professional athletes received similar emails.

 

[I Watch Cycling In July]

'...' supplied PEDs to several kids he coached, one of whom was a minor at the time '...'

'...'often counterfeit medicines'...'

'...'amateur cyclists (masters, cyclosportive riders'...'

Sports doping is a public health issue. It's like Daryl said earlier:

'...' This is EXACTLY why combating PED`s is so important. With the internet making every idea and virtualy any product available its only a matter of time before some kid tries what came so close to killing Ricco recently and does kill themselves. Kid`s are like that...they do stupid things. Thats the responsibility Pro sports have in fighting PED use, forget ideas of "fair" racing..drugs or no drugs fair doesnt have much to do with it.'...'

It's not about the Pros and how they chose to pursue their sport. It's about the far greater numbers of 'kids' who are going to try and follow their example.

(Hope you don't mind the heavy editing hrotha; I really wanted to highlight those points.)

 

[ElChingon]

How long till all the dope pushers in Spain move their operations to the local butcher shops

 

[Winterfold]

interesting blog from JV on this

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/jonathan-vaughters/connecting-the-dots

 

[Benotti69]

interesting blog from JV on this

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/jonathan-vaughters/connecting-the-dots

you got to laugh

to quote JV - Not by the journalists that have researched the story, no, rather the massacre occurs in the comments and forums that follow the story.

when's the last time a cycling journalist researched a cycling story?

not gonna give a critique on every point JV makes but i am not sure Tondo is Mr Clean because he shopped a drug ring. he might have done it figuring these guys(doping ring) are amateurs and if caught Police be able to will trace an email to Tondo and implicate him????

 

[frenchfry]

interesting blog from JV on this

http://www.cyclingnews.com/blogs/jonathan-vaughters/connecting-the-dots

I am pretty much a fence sitter when it comes to JV's approach. This blog makes me think that he has trouble stepping back and understanding why knowlegeble fans react as they do to the endless doping scandals and the reality that doping is still a major problem in cycling with no end in sight.

The worst thing that could happen is that the forums become silent and let the UCI manage the PR inconvenience uncontested.

Di Luca, Rebbelin, Ricco, Schumacher, Rasmussen, Armstrong, Heras, Landis, ect. etc. The "I told you so" list is a long one and still growing. Is/was Tondo clean? The problem remains that we still just can't be sure.

By the way JV, I am anonymous without being anonymous so what is your point? That my opinion is only valid if I am well known by everyone? You lost a lot of credibility with that outburst.