Phonak

[BroDeal]

A paragraph from the ESPN artilcle about Tyler's book:

The evening of the first rest day in the 2004 Tour de France, Hamilton found himself alone in his room in an austere chain hotel outside Limoges, France, after doctors for his Switzerland-based Phonak team had aided him with a transfusion, a by-then routine oxygen-processing boost to help him through the upcoming mountains. He was nursing a serious back injury caused by a crash. His then-wife was on her way to meet him, ferrying their aged golden retriever, who was sick and soon to be put to sleep. Hamilton was shaky with a fever, suffering from a skull-cracking headache and urinating blood -- not a mere rosy tinge of it, but "dark, dark red, almost black'' blood.

What happened to doping support when Landis joined the team? What system do they have at BMC?

Pereiro was on Phonak from 2002 to 2005. I wonder if he will get a mention.

 

[Epicycle]

A paragraph from the ESPN artilcle about Tyler's book:

The evening of the first rest day in the 2004 Tour de France, Hamilton found himself alone in his room in an austere chain hotel outside Limoges, France, after doctors for his Switzerland-based Phonak team had aided him with a transfusion, a by-then routine oxygen-processing boost to help him through the upcoming mountains. He was nursing a serious back injury caused by a crash. His then-wife was on her way to meet him, ferrying their aged golden retriever, who was sick and soon to be put to sleep. Hamilton was shaky with a fever, suffering from a skull-cracking headache and urinating blood -- not a mere rosy tinge of it, but "dark, dark red, almost black'' blood.

What happened to doping support when Landis joined the team? What system do they have at BMC?

Pereiro was on Phonak from 2002 to 2005. I wonder if he will get a mention.

The winter before Floyd joined Phonak, Andy Rihs fired the DS (Alvaro Pino) and manager (Urs Freuler) due to the fallout from Tyler and Santi Perez's positives. That's when John Lelangue was hired. So Floyd rode for different management. I don't believe Floyd has ever spoken the extent of Lelangue's involvement in doping, beyond him knowing about it, but I could be wrong. The French cycling federation investigated Lelangue but nothing ever came of it. Maybe it had to do with Floyd avoiding France because of the hacking charge, I don't know. Not that I think BMC is clean, but it seems like things have moved toward plausible deniability when it comes to team management's direct involvement in doping.

 

[ElChingon]

The winter before Floyd joined Phonak, Andy Rihs fired the DS (Alvaro Pino) and manager (Urs Freuler) due to the fallout from Tyler and Santi Perez's positives. That's when John Lelangue was hired. So Floyd rode for different management. I don't believe Floyd has ever spoken the extent of Lelangue's involvement in doping, beyond him knowing about it, but I could be wrong. The French cycling federation investigated Lelangue but nothing ever came of it. Maybe it had to do with Floyd avoiding France because of the hacking charge, I don't know. Not that I think BMC is clean, but it seems like things have moved toward plausible deniability when it comes to team management's direct involvement in doping.

That's the typical M.O. after a such a thing, the names were changed but as we know it all remained the same. Maybe they added a buffer zone for Rihs.

 

["Jeff"]

The worst of the worst became a member of that Phonak team. Botero, Gutierrez, Perreiro, Guidi, Landis, Perez, Hamilton, Camenzind.

A marginal rider like Alexander Moos suddenly climbed with the best at age 30.

Surprised they didnt have a doping program to begin with because it seemed they knew exactly which riders they offered a contract. Of course a Swiss sponsor need some Swiss riders too (who were just fillers) and there you go, team Phonak.

 

["Jeff"]

The worst of the worst became a member of that Phonak team. Botero, Gutierrez, Perreiro, Guidi, Landis, Perez, Hamilton, Camenzind.

A marginal rider like Alexander Moos suddenly climbed with the best at age 30. I was wondering where he came from when I saw him in the Tour of Switzerland.

Surprised they didnt have a doping program to begin with because it seemed they knew exactly which riders they offered a contract. Of course a Swiss sponsor need some Swiss riders too (who were just fillers) and there you go, team Phonak.

 

[will10]

I was looking at the 2004 Vuelta earlier. Santi Perez was quite something sticking 30s+ into Heras on every single climb in the third week.

 

[hrotha]

I always got the notion that Phonak was a free for all where everybody did their own thing, but with those riders (some like Perdiguero are missing) it's no wonder there was a widespread doping culture in the team.

I wonder what Hesjedal thought of that.