Just returning briefly to post some information I had been puttng together at the "other" forum.
A breif history of Jose Ibarguren.
Ibarguren 1999 – 2012
Interesting snippet in the Spanish press a few months after the Festina scandal where he says that “Willy Voet Lies”
http://hemeroteca.mundodeportivo.com/preview/1945/03/08/pagina-38/404518/pdf.html? After Voet accused him of doping riders.
By the July of 99, he was at Lotto, interesting article from 99, his car was searched at Midi Libre, and he was viewed with a great deal of suspicion. “on the brink of illegality”
http://www.gva.be/Archief/guid/op-h...?artikel=3a750cd4-17b7-11d5-8b00-0008c7eaa20b
Another interesting one from later that year, where he is confused by the result from UCI testing that his riders Hematocrit were much higher than he expected. Begs the question, why do team doctors have expensive equipment, to test as the uci do, if not to make sure they keep their riders hematocrit just below the legal levels
http://www.gva.be/Archief/guid/lott...?artikel=3a750dbd-17b7-11d5-8b00-0008c7eaa20b
Onto 2002. And the doctor is now working at Lampre. July 28th Just outside Lyon a Lampre camper van is stopped by the police. In it they find in the suitacases of Dr Ibarguren, corticoids, syringes and countless other doping parenphenalia.
http://www.gva.be/Archief/guid/opni...?artikel=04fcdf13-2e46-482d-af8d-63057b82b480
Of course, 2002 was the year that Lampre rider Raimondas Rumsas finished 3rd in the Tour de France. On the final day of the tour, a car driven by Rumsas’s wife was stopped by police, in it they found corticoids, erythropoietin, testosterone, growth hormones and anabolic steroids. His wife was jailed, but claimed throughout that the medications were for her mother. He later finished 8th in the giro, but was banned for a year following a positive test for Epo. In 2005 he was arrested and along with his wife charged with importing doping products. They both recieved suspended prison sentances.
After positives in both 2002 and 2003 for members of the Lampre squad, 2004 was a prety quiet year in Ibargurens career. No major postives, but of course doping would once more rear its head with the Mantova investigation. Primerily focused on doping at Lampre in 2008 and 2009 (years after he left the team), he was nonetheless named on the list of 32 suspects along with 5 other team doctors and staff, Dr Bonazzi, Fabio Torre, Piccoli, Piovani and Guiseppe Saronni.
whats interesting is that at Lampre, for the two years he was there, they suffered their worst two years in the last ten (based on cq ranking)
2005 and Taus makes his way to Euskaltel on a three year contract
http://www.esciclismo.com/ampliada.asp?Id=235
At the ripe old age of 28, Inigo Landaluze suddely wins the Dauphine after doing nothing throghout his entire career. He tested positive for testosterone, and was suspended, before eventually being cleared. Later that season,He did nothing else for the rest of his career and was eventually banned in 2009 for Cera.
Aitor Gonzalez tested positive at the Tour of Spain for Steroids. Gonzalez blamed it on a contaminated food susbstance and the Spanish Federation acquitted him. Te UCI they took it to CAS and he was eventually banned from 2005 to 2007.
Ibarguren was released from Euskaltel at the end of 2005, although originally he had a three year contract.
http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/PUB/2005/12/14/EMD20051214034MDV.pdf
Interestingly, as with Lampre, the year he spent at Euskaltel proved to be their worst ranking position of the last ten years.
For 2006 he then joined Saunier Duval
http://hemeroteca-paginas.mundodeportivo.com/EMD02/PUB/2005/12/14/EMD20051214034MDV.pdf
You dont really need to be reminded what went on at Saunier Duval. In 2007, youngster Riccardo Ricco won two stages of the Tirreno Adriatico, as well as the points jersey. Ninth in Amstel gold, 6th in Fleche Wallone (in his first ever ardennes rides). Won a stage of the Giro ahead of teammate Peipoli, and finished 6th overall. And finished 2nd In Lombardia. All t the age of 23. By 2008 Ricco had won another 2 stages of the Giro, 2nd overall, and the young riders jersey. He then went on to win 2 stages of the Tour de France before finally testing positive for CERA on 17th July. Ricco originally had tried to dodge doping controls, and as a result the testers decided to test him daily.
Meanwhile teammate Peipoli was also having a remarkably good couple of years. 11th overall in the Giro in 2006, he then followed up with a stage win, 3 second places, and the mountains jersey in the 2007 edition. In 2008 he won a stage in the Tour, helped Riccardo Ricco win two stages, before finally confessing to EPO useage. Two of his samples from that Tour were later found to be positive for CERA.
And of course Iban Mayo. He too won a stage in the 2007 Giro d’Italia. (the team total for that giro was 3 stages, 3 second places, 6th overall and the mountains classification). He then went to the Tour de France of that year where he finished 16th before it being announced that he had failed a test for EPO and was subseqently banned.
The Saunier Duval years saw a change in the doctors fortunes. Where in his two previous teams he oversaw a downturn in their fortunes, at Saunier Duval it was quite the opposite.
For 2009 he remained with the now Fuji Servetto team. No positives there, but debate continues over which riders he was working with outside of the team.
For 2010 he joined Omega Pharma Lotto and remained their through the 2011 season. Im not going to go into those three years, but there are many who will look at Lottos brilliant performances in 2011 (Gilbert sweeping all before him, Vanendert in the Tour) and knowing his history raise questions.
And again, under him, they enjoyed their best seasons in many years (wins)
And onto 2012. His new team Omega Pharma Quickstep, win all but one of the cobbled classics and look undefeatable.
Are their parallels to his early career, his Festina links, Lampre, Euskltel and Saunier Duval?
Ultimately, if a team want to be above suspicion, there are thousands of doctors out there perfectly capable of dealing with every day illnesses, injuries, etc. If you are going to hire a doctor with a reputation such as Jose Ibarguren Taus has, you have got to expect eyebrows to be raised when performances seem unbelievable
The question is, what changed between Lampre/Euskaltel and 2006 onwards. If we are to assume he is doping riders, which for the sake of argument lets say he is, what change. In the early part of his career he seemed to be dealing mainly with EPO, Cortisoids, and other drugs, although by his own admission he does have fairly advanced blood testing equipment and so there is every chance he was getting involved in blood manipulation. So what changed in 2006 to suddenly bring results for teams under his supervision. Did the introduction of the bio passport suddenly make doctors with heamotology experience more valuable? Did he gain access to the more advanced drugs (we know that saunier duval had cera pretty early on), or did he just gain experience?
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