Operation Ilex

[Ilmaestro99]

It's being reported that several Caja Rural riders are linked to Marcos Maynar, the doctor being investigated in Operation Ilex, who apparently worked with Superman Lopez.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1722613913785913375

View: https://twitter.com/inrng/status/1722613913785913375?t=FW75RzsTeB0V3-LMr_v8_A&s=19

 

[Tim Cahill]

Keys on the Caja Rural issue, after having read the PDF leak and the El País report

- The document contains conversations between several Caja Rural cyclists with Marcos Maynar between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022. It is clear that these are not isolated cases, although it is also clear that most of the team was unaware of this.

- As El País points out, "the Civil Guard investigators concluded that contact between both parties had been established by Juan Manuel Hernández, manager and sports manager of the team." This is pretty obvious from reading the document.

- Also, as El País says, messages appear between Orluis Aular and Marcos Maynar. Aular left La Vuelta after the leak.- According to El País, the leak "would come from a leader of a team unhappy for not participating in La Vuelta." It was sent from a post office in Vitoria.

- Doctor Marcos Maynar was suspended from 2009 until October 18, 2019 following the doping scandal in the Portuguese team LA-MSS, discovered after the death of cyclist Bruno Neves.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1722700675514093630

View: https://twitter.com/raulbanqueri/status/1722700675514093630


The plot thickens, I wonder who the mole is, Aular was kinda flying at the end of the season too.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

According to El País, the leak "would come from a leader of a team unhappy for not participating in La Vuelta." It was sent from a post office in Vitoria.



The plot thickens, I wonder who the mole is,

Dirigente would suggest a manager, rather than a rider-leader.

I suspect that they were dark green with envy of the teams that did get an invite.. But why would they know details of the investigation?

Aular was kinda flying at the end of the season too.

I'm trying to remember what reason was given for his withdrawal.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Dirigente would suggest a manager, rather than a rider-leader.

I suspect that they were dark green with envy of the teams that did get an invite.. But why would they know details of the investigation?


I'm trying to remember what reason was given for his withdrawal.

Una indisposición de @orluisaular ha impedido que tome la salida en la exigente decimotercera etapa de
@lavuelta
con final en el Tourmalet. Agradecer la venezolano la gran labor realizada. Seguimos con nuestros seis guerreros en carrera.

'An Illness' according to the team, seemed ok coming 8th the stage before and his climbing isn't nearly bad enough to warrant him doing a CIppo. I believe the likeliest candidate would be Equipo Kern Pharma as the best team probably not given a wildcard, Juan Oroz is local to the region apparently.

 

[Sciatic]

It's being reported that several Caja Rural riders are linked to Marcos Maynar, the doctor being investigated in Operation Ilex, who apparently worked with Superman Lopez.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1722613913785913375

View: https://twitter.com/inrng/status/1722613913785913375?t=FW75RzsTeB0V3-LMr_v8_A&s=19

Great photo: it’s a classic “who, me?” gesture.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Una indisposición de @orluisaular ha impedido que tome la salida en la exigente decimotercera etapa de
@lavuelta
con final en el Tourmalet. Agradecer la venezolano la gran labor realizada. Seguimos con nuestros seis guerreros en carrera.

'An Illness' according to the team, seemed ok coming 8th the stage before and his climbing isn't nearly bad enough to warrant him doing a CIppo. I believe the likeliest candidate would be Equipo Kern Pharma as the best team probably not given a wildcard, Juan Oroz is local to the region apparently.

Íñaki Isasi at Euskaltel is also local to Vitória-Gasteiz. Plus that team is based out of País Vasco while Kern Pharma is based out of Navarra, same as Movistar and Caja Rural, not that there aren't obvious links between the two regions.

 

[Izzyeviel]

Dirigente would suggest a manager, rather than a rider-leader.

I suspect that they were dark green with envy of the teams that did get an invite.. But why would they know details of the investigation?


I'm trying to remember what reason was given for his withdrawal.

'illness'

 

[pastronef]

so who's more likely to have leaked the document? Euskaltel or Kern-Pharma?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

so who's more likely to have leaked the document? Euskaltel or Kern-Pharma?

And should either have been aware of its contents at that stage? If they had legitimate reason to be in possession of the file, then presumably Caja Rural were as well.

 

[pastronef]

surely the team manager sending out the leaked document was trying to make sure that even before the legal-doping matter, Caja would get a knockout in public image from the fans and Unipublic-Aso

 

[search]

So it was leaked months ago, but no one picked up on the story? And instead, Caja Rural itself made sure that it goes viral now?

This is certainly an odd way to end your cycling career.

 

[pastronef]

So it was leaked months ago, but no one picked up on the story? And instead, Caja Rural itself made sure that it goes viral now?

This is certainly an odd way to end your cycling career.

probably they know something we still don't, so they jumped the gun, before the Spanish press did. cause they knew it would come out soon

 

[Skijumper Roglic fan]

Ah, I don’t know, Caja Rural riders working with Dr Maynar. I don’t know if that is that interesting.

We actually rather want to know the doctors who the most successful teams work with. Caja Rural is one of the oldest teams still existing, with a loyal sponsor, and good results every now and then. But they are not the „big player“.

One could rather joke: if Caja Rural work with legendary Dr Maynar, who in the world do the other teams, who really win something big, work with? Dr Ferrari, or what?…

 

[zlev11]

One could rather joke: if Caja Rural work with legendary Dr Maynar, who in the world do the other teams, who really win something big, work with? Dr Ferrari, or what?…

i mean, it's barely a joke. this is a team that was getting stuffed in a locker so badly that they weren't even invited to the Vuelta last season. so they decided to do something about it and join the arms race. the fact that they were doping and still not getting any results (although Aular himself did win the Cro Race this year) speaks volumes about what must be going on in the rest of the peloton.

 

[fmk_RoI]

they decided to do something about it and join the arms race. the fact that they were doping and still not getting any results (although Aular himself did win the Cro Race this year) speaks volumes about what must be going on in the rest of the peloton.

Put a pin in it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1722953460230844465

View: https://twitter.com/DeMONDENARD/status/1722953460230844465

 

[zlev11]

Put a pin in it.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1722953460230844465

View: https://twitter.com/DeMONDENARD/status/1722953460230844465

why did they go to a doping doctor to get these substances then if they aren't illegal?

 

[samhocking]

why did they go to a doping doctor to get these substances then if they aren't illegal?

They appear to be all legal if that's all that's found. Clearly a doping doctor knows as much as about legal doping as illegal, probably more than someone completely anti-doping. End of the day, no team are paying for doctors just to hand out painkillers and sleepers are they, it's to keep riders robust and racing as fast as possible.

Dichloroacetic acid (Lactate reducer during competition)
Theophylline (Ergogenic aid)
Actovegin (glucose and oxygen uptake aid. WADA & UCI Legal <50ml every 6 hours with Dr emailing justification)

 

[Sciatic]

Just to clarify, when folks are saying "legal" do you mean UCI-legal (as in, not on the list of banned substances). Or are you referring to street legal/over the counter medicines (which would vary in each country depending on their laws)? The difference is there are some products that are available over the counter (e.g. caffeine pills, sudafed, etc. and probably many of the masking agents) that could get a rider penalized.

 

[samhocking]

Just to clarify, when folks are saying "legal" do you mean UCI-legal (as in, not on the list of banned substances). Or are you referring to street legal/over the counter medicines (which would vary in each country depending on their laws)? The difference is there are some products that are available over the counter (e.g. caffeine pills, sudafed, etc. and probably many of the masking agents) that could get a rider penalized.

Legal for me is something that's not prohibited under WADA code (and UCI as a signatory follows that code with a few additions like no Tramadol and no needles etc). They are not controlled substances by WADA for the purposes of deciding criminal offences though, even for countries like Italy, France etc. WADA have nothing to do with any criminal aspect although clearly if you are proven to be illegally doping under WADA code, then any sanction automatically becomes a country-specific crime or not, ignoring any public health law side of it for the Dr directly.

 

[fmk_RoI]

Just to clarify, when folks are saying "legal" do you mean UCI-legal (as in, not on the list of banned substances).

De Mondenard is clear that he means WADA legal, banned-list legal. Stuff that ain't doping.

 

[zlev11]

yea im gonna send my riders to ferrari for baking soda

 

[samhocking]

I don't think it's so black and white as that. Doping doctors wouldn't only be prescribing prohibited substances, there's a wide range of substances legal in some scenarios, illegal in others as well as completely legal ones they would be experts in knowing when to use, at what dose and with experience if it works or not.

 

[Rob5091]

https://cyclinguptodate.com/cycling...anish-cycling-chronicle-of-a-23-page-document
So everybody knew about this at the Vuelta, but said and did nothing ...
"The only thing we know, thanks to publications in the Spanish media, is that there are conversations that make it clear that several Caja Rural cyclists, recommended by their manager and behind the back of the team doctor, have been treated by Marcos Maynar."

 

[zlev11]

I don't think it's so black and white as that. Doping doctors wouldn't only be prescribing prohibited substances, there's a wide range of substances legal in some scenarios, illegal in others as well as completely legal ones they would be experts in knowing when to use, at what dose and with experience if it works or not.

no it's extremely black and white. why would you entail the risk of going to a doping doctor for legal products? it literally does not make any sense.

 

[Rob5091]

https://www.diariodenavarra.es/noti...al-no-esconder-no-hecho-malo-588879-1024.html

Google translate -

How do you explain Aular's withdrawal?
He was one of those who was there, and we decided to take him down so that there would be no fuss about this matter.
It's up to you.
Yes, as a precautionary measure. No one advised us to do so, no one told us to go down to Orluis, nor did the Vuelta put pressure on us.
Have you talked to Orluis about this?
No problem. We talked and went to the UCO to see if there were any problems. And they told us to be calm. In fact, the UCO recommended that the boy not get off, because it seems that you are feeling guilty. The UCO has supported us in everything and has defended that we are not guilty of anything. That's why we're calm. It seems that because I was in the wrong place I am involved in the matter. And we have nothing, nothing to hide.