blackcat said:
actually, you like most posters here are ignorant on Saunier.
The team was dirty. But what were the roles of the doctors.
I know someone who was clean and rode for Saunier.
The doc's were paranoid that the Spaniards on the team would keel over in the middle of the night. Because they were pushing it. Cobo the worst. They were thinking about getting rid of the Spanish contingent on the team, not the docs, the riders.
Then Ricco and Piepoli get nicked. Irony.
Nope, there was no systematic program at Saunier. No docs doing the insulin and epo for the riders.
But there was encouragement by the DS and management, to go to see a person. See: doctor. Outside. Get the help.
But not from the sports docs during the races, nope. I think there were at least two clean guys on Saunier. I dont count Millar in that two neither.
I dont know what is going on at the moment tho.
Good to see you back and thanks for the info. I was ignorant on this side of Saunier, but that would be why I didn't mention it and instead took the guilty by association theme. However the DS was dirty. He knew that Piepoli would match Ricco's positive and withdrew the team. The AFLD were prudent and already had enough to nab him. Just took a few months.
As for the doctor. I don't know anything about him, but given there have been numerous positives and rumours about the team, it would take a story like yours to convinve most that the team doctor either didn't know or did and wasn't aiding the application of doping.
Now in the present day, Fuji Servetto is crap. I think they've been truly scared and scarred from last years antics. Weird that Cobo was the worst offender, I thought he was cleaner than most. He did finish 10th in the Vuelta and is leaving the team. Maybe the performances and lack of encouragement have perturbed him? As for Dela Fuente, maybe that explains all his early Tour antics in previous years, jumping up the hills for the KOM jersey and day long breakaways over a week.
Maybe Sergeant and Omega Pharma Lotto aren't complete jackasses in the doping department after all. Either way, unless I hear a reasonable story like yours then I should give them the benefit of the doubt.