Sky/Ineos Head Carer of 14 years discovered as member of Aderlass doping ring (Megathread)

[pastronef]

So it's just a coincidence he came back when he knew about Rozman, and do you know why all the possible transfers are on hold?

Sky have been in worse waters and have dealt with it and never kept transfers on hold. Mugabe (his nickname) has his ways of doing things, so maybe he decided to have a good look at riders available before splashing the money

 

[yaco]

Sky have been in worse waters and have dealt with it and never kept transfers on hold. Mugabe (his nickname) has his ways of doing things, so maybe he decided to have a good look at riders available before splashing the money

They did the same thing around 3 or 4 years ago. They tend to move slowly at Sky.

 

[pastronef]

They did the same thing around 3 or 4 years ago. They tend to move slowly at Sky.

yes, but there are half a dozen fans who've been praying for a big Rozman saga and decline and they read every sign as a direct consequence of that

 

[yaco]

yes, but there are half a dozen fans who've been praying for a big Rozman saga and decline and they read every sign as a direct consequence of that

Of course Brailsford throwing his weight around has nothing to do with Rozman. I doubt anything will come out of the Rozman saga.

 

[ontheroad]

Of course nothing will come off the Rozman saga. The omerta runs deep and it's the age old tactic of playing for time knowing that once the season is over nobody will care much about it anymore. If there was one thing Sky excelled at above all others it was PR and by them issuing a statement during the Tour they effectively kicked the can down the road.

Brailsford didn't comment on the Freeman saga at the time so it would be hoping for a bit too much to expect that he might comment on the Rozman saga now. Plus fewer and fewer cycling journalists actually care about the doping stuff anymore anyway. It's an industry that protects itself and it's all about selling the sport and creating good news headlines.

 

[Rob5091]

If there was one thing Sky excelled at above all others it was PR and by them issuing a statement during the Tour they effectively kicked the can down the road.

Teams of lawyers and NDA's probably help. What was the first thing Brailsford said about Rozman, "we got lawyers to look at it".

 

[Jacques (7 ch)]

Since SDB got into the Ratcliffe tent on the basis that he’s a sporting mastermind (whether with a straight face, or a nod and a wink) you can safely assume he will be tasked with shutting down ‘noise’ like this. For everyone’s sake.

They will all have a wary eye on Brad, though.

 

[Sciatic]

Since SDB got into the Ratcliffe tent on the basis that he’s a sporting mastermind (whether with a straight face, or a nod and a wink) you can safely assume he will be tasked with shutting down ‘noise’ like this. For everyone’s sake.

They will all have a wary eye on Brad, though.

You mean omertà wise?

 

[pastronef]

Teams of lawyers and NDA's probably help. What was the first thing Brailsford said about Rozman, "we got lawyers to look at it".

like in every company

 

[Rob5091]

Filip Tišma (one time mechanic at Sky now at Bahrian) gives a little titbit about Froome at the 2016 Olympics -
https://siol.net/sportal/rio2016/sl...e-kolesarje-ekipe-jemljejo-z-levo-roko-423813

"I haven't spoken to Chris here, but we've been hanging out with other Sky staff who are scattered across other national teams. Only masseur David Rozman was with Chris the whole time. By the way, I'm not Froome's mechanic at Sky either, he trusts his African mechanic the most,"

Edit - add - Gary Blem is of course Froome's long time mechanic, since the Barloworld days infact
https://www.ridemedia.com.au/bike-gallery-guest-contribution-by-chris-froomes-mechanic-gary-blem/

 

[pastronef]

Filip Tišma (one time mechanic at Sky now at Bahrian) gives a little titbit about Froome at the 2016 Olympics -
https://siol.net/sportal/rio2016/sl...e-kolesarje-ekipe-jemljejo-z-levo-roko-423813

Edit - add - Gary Blem is of course Froome's long time mechanic, since the Barloworld days infact
https://www.ridemedia.com.au/bike-gallery-guest-contribution-by-chris-froomes-mechanic-gary-blem/

I don't want Sky to go down. but if it'll happen I'll be happy for you and your drive. kudos, you give me souvenirs of the old twitter antidopers (antiSky) of ten years ago.

 

[Rob5091]

Well, If Rozman talks it won't only be Sky/Ineos but Bahrain and even possibly UAE who get hurt.

 

[Rob5091]

A little trip down a German memory lane - Rožman explains how he got to Team Sky (why Sky had to go to Slovenia to pick mechanics is a question for another day)
https://arhiv.gorenjskiglas.si/article/20111215/C/312159992/

"I left for Sky when my contract with Milram expired. The team manager was Dutch and had little chance of extending his contract in Germany. So at the Tour of Switzerland I arranged for Sky. I was recommended by Milram captain Linus Gerdemann. Linus initially worked with a Danish manager who was one of the key people at Saxo Bank. He, too, was in talks for a transfer to England at the time. However, then a new Leopard team was formed on the Tour, so he went to Luxembourg. A year before me, the mechanic Igor Turk from Novo mesto and Filip Tišma from Kranj left for Sky. It was the latter that helped me the most to get over to them."

Linus Gerdemann had his own German TV exposé back in 2009 (but lucky for him, Ullrich got more attention)- https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gerdemann-denies-doping/

Linus Gerdemann of Team Milram has denied reports that he used doping products in 2006. A German television programme had charged that it has reports that his blood values indicated manipulation. The "Sportschau" programme also claimed that Jan Ullrich had questionable blood values in 2006. ....He previously admitted working with the controversial doctor Luigi Cecchini, but ceased his association with him in May, 2006.

Luigi Cecchini of course was Riis "coach" plus some familiar names, David Millar, Thomas Dekker and Alessandro Petacchi, which brings us back to team Milram and eventuelly to Dr Schmidt -
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/alessandro-petacchi-handed-two-year-doping-ban/

The ban relates to information received by the UCI from the enforcement authorities that have been spearheading the Austrian doping investigation known as Operation Aderlass. Relating to information passed on to the UCI, Petacchi was handed the two-year period of ineligibility due to ‘use of prohibited methods/substances’.

 

[Rob5091]

So Michael Rasmussen confesses to EPO, blood doping, growth hormones etc etc and Dr. Geert Leinders doctor at Rabobank, moves to Team Sky and misuses the TUE system as before,
https://velo.outsideonline.com/road...ersy-why-one-medical-expert-has-real-concerns

Michael Rasmussen talked about applying for a TUE to get this injection. He said that Geert Leinders did exactly that for them. He would apply for a TUE for some arbitrary illness, and then inject them with exactly the same substance, Triamcinolone acetonide, just before a Grand Tour.

Of course this is just one part of the cocktail that produces a Grand Tour winner, as Rasmussen admitted. Team Sky had plenty of doctors to learn (and misuse the TUE system as Freeman did) the other parts of the cocktail, and one of which (at least) was in direct contact with Dr Schmidt of "Aderlass" fame.
Rozman had the contacts from his Milram (and maybe earlier jobs in Slovenia) days for PEDs which could supply the missing cocktail parts (which raises the question of Freeman's order of Testogel? and why no one at Fit4sport thought it odd that a banned substance was going to Team Sky and British Cycling's HQ?)
Sir Dave of course can n't blame Leinders for everything (he was sacked in 2012) which means it looks like Doc Freeman will get thrown under the bus again. Lots of other unanswered questions though remain.

 

[pastronef]

keep going Rob

 

[Libertine Seguros]

So Michael Rasmussen confesses to EPO, blood doping, growth hormones etc etc and Dr. Geert Leinders doctor at Rabobank, moves to Team Sky and misuses the TUE system as before,
https://velo.outsideonline.com/road...ersy-why-one-medical-expert-has-real-concerns

Of course this is just one part of the cocktail that produces a Grand Tour winner, as Rasmussen admitted. Team Sky had plenty of doctors to learn (and misuse the TUE system as Freeman did) the other parts of the cocktail, and one of which (at least) was in direct contact with Dr Schmidt of "Aderlass" fame.
Rozman had the contacts from his Milram (and maybe earlier jobs in Slovenia) days for PEDs which could supply the missing cocktail parts (which raises the question of Freeman's order of Testogel? and why no one at Fit4sport thought it odd that a banned substance was going to Team Sky and British Cycling's HQ?)
Sir Dave of course can n't blame Leinders for everything (he was sacked in 2012) which means it looks like Doc Freeman will get thrown under the bus again. Lots of other unanswered questions though remain.

Triamcinolone of course being one of the things Wiggins' TUEs leaked in Fancy Bears was for, most notably before the Giro in 2013. They explained it being due to allergies hitting him badly at that time of year, I posted way back in 2016 about how his career largely actually saw this being one of his most productive times of year and the lack of other TUEs at similar times in previous years, and that the relatively uncommon triamcinolone being the TUE and not (as it had been with Chris Froome at Romandie) prednisolone made it stand out more and raise more red flags.

I had not been aware that Rasmussen had mentioned triamcinolone specifically previously, that certainly gives a very easy narrative to draw about this being something Leinders specifically brought to the team.

 

[yaco]

Dr Freeman was suspended by British anti-doping authorites for having Testogal on site at the British Cycling centre. He also lost his medical licence for matters relating to testogel. Do you really think Dr Freeman has more to offer?

 

[veganrob]

Dr Freeman was suspended by British anti-doping authorites for having Testogal on site at the British Cycling centre. He also lost his medical licence for matters relating to testogel. Do you really think Dr Freeman has more to offer?

Probably not anymore. I heard he's not all there.

 

[Rob5091]

Doc Freeman is a good scapegoat for Sir Dave. Somebody else might have had a more hands on job with PEDs etc but if Rozman is sacked and Freeman is scapegoated then it's all hunky dory at Ineos.

 

[Rob5091]

Dr Freeman was suspended by British anti-doping authorites for having Testogal on site at the British Cycling centre. He also lost his medical licence for matters relating to testogel. Do you really think Dr Freeman has more to offer?

Is n't he a logical choice to be a scapegoat as Sir Dave can just point to the Testogel?

 

[pastronef]

Vingegaard yesterday was almost 5 minutes faster on the last climb than the GC group in 2012 (Contador, Froome)

 

[thetdog666]

Vingegaard yesterday was almost 5 minutes faster on the last climb than the GC group in 2012 (Contador, Froome)

Drugs must of got better......Or better motors