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

[Libertine Seguros]

This I posted before, but is worth remembering, this is not just about Rozman at Sky/Ineos -
There is, or was, another person involved who had direct contact with Schmidt at Sky (Laptop "specialist" Dr Freeman, or a rider?)

So this is not just about Rozman at Sky, and the potential one "bad apple" excuse aint gonna wash.

There is the possibility bearing in mind it's 2012 we're talking about that the other infamous doctor of the time, Leinders, would have been the one - Kohl attested to Schmidt being involved in his doping, and he was part of the Humanplasma circle. This then involved Michael Rasmussen, from whose testimonies we have a link to Leinders, and we know that oversight and assisting riders who were doping from returning positive tests was a large part of what his role at Rabobank was known for.

The other possibility if we are talking riders and race-side staffers would leave a couple of other relevant possibilities. Somebody who went from Milram (where Mark Schmidt had been prior to this) to Team Sky was Christian Knees, who was picked up off the scrap heap when Milram collapsed at the end of 2010 and repurposed into a rouleur domestique par excellence by the team, and was at the 2012 Tour. Sky couldn't really pick up any ex-Gerolsteiner riders with their farcical white paper strategy at the time (despite having the likes of Mick Rogers of course), but Milram were likely fair game as they'd been an underfunded, mismanaged mess over the time since the bottom fell out of German cycling in 2007 and Petacchi had had his ban, so their results had not been especially noteworthy and there wasn't so much suspicion of them at the time as there might have been 2-3 years previously. However, probably a more logical connection than somebody in a relatively peripheral domestique position as Knees was, would be Servais Knaven - he is a known doper with his own history, as has long since been known, and he had been at Milram as a rider in 2009-10 before joining Sky as a DS, where he stayed all the way until 2022, being one of the men in the car for several of their greatest successes.

This is all pure conjecture and theory-crafting, I hasten to add, but these would appear the line-of-best-fit avenues of discourse.

 

[Rob5091]

Leinders is someone I thought of, and a little trip down memory lane from 2015 on Servais Knaven,
https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/...en-after-re-emergence-of-doping-claims-161336

...revealed tests that showed EPO in Knaven's blood. They found cortisone and Naftidrofuryl in his urine. It added that bags of blood thinner Persantin were found in Knaven's room.

I'm not sure but Persantin is not something you can just pop down to the local corner shop and buy. Probably requires a doctor to write out a prescription and that opens out another can of worms.

Knaven sounds like a good contender for "the other man". Maybe we should have a poll!
Edit - add 28 July - from 2021 - JTL puts the boot in and ...
https://www.cyclingnews.com/feature...ce-policy-was-a-total-joke-says-former-rider/

The former rider pointed to current directeur sportif Servais Knaven as a prime example. ...In 2015 the Mail on Sunday claimed to have had access to the court documents from 2001, in which the French court accepted that a number of riders had doped. Three members of the team’s management, who were on trial, were found guilty of organizing a systematic doping programme. ...
Team Sky stood by Knaven at the time but Tiernan-Locke has told Cyclingnews that riders within the camp saw double standards and flaws with the selectiveness of the team’s approach.

"You don’t talk about it at the dinner table but it’s stuff that you talk about with your teammates when you’re rooming with. You just say that it’s a total *** joke.

 

[Fretwork]

In Thomas Dekker's book, at one point, he refers to his and Boogard's Slovenian connection for undetectable EPO. I wonder if it is this guy?

Asked someone with the digital version of the book. Apparently (according to Dekker) a Slovenian athlete called Boštjan Buč arranged dynepo for them.

 

[Tim Cahill]

Asked someone with the digital version of the book. Apparently (according to Dekker) a Slovenian athlete called Boštjan Buč arranged dynepo for them.

Yes that was it, the Rabobank connection

Je slovenski rekorder Boštjan Buč nizozemskim kolesarjem dobavljal doping?

Slovenski rekorder v teku na 3.000 metrov z zaprekami Boštjan Buč se je znašel v nezavidljivem položaju, hude obtožbe na njegov račun prihajajo z Nizozemske. Kolesar Thomas Dekker ga je namreč v svoji biografiji obtožil oskrbovanja z dopingom.

siol.net

 

[Ripper]

Going from the text messages, it seems that Rozman has helped out the Slovenians at the Worlds too.
The Times seems to be the only paper of merit to write on the Rozman story in the UK. Ineos have lawyers aplenty.
The ASO's checking journalists questions shows just how taboo even talking about cycling's dark side is in this now big bucks, "Hallmark"channel image version of the sport.
Edit - add- from https://www.thetimes.com/sport/cycl...hmidt-cycling-doping-tour-de-france-tmjz9bs6q

also it seems my guess was right for "Maestro Baltazar"s nationality,

All the lolz!!

 

[Shakes]

Really good article, using this to reflect on doping in cycling (and lack of curiosity of press corps). Effectively everyone forced to be part of the show as marketing bumps with journalism.

An Anatomy Of The Doping Story That Has The Tour de France Press Room Buzzing | Defector

MONTPELLIER, France — Fifteen stages and two rest days into the Tour de France, the talk of the press room is not Tadej Pogacar rampaging toward his fourth yellow jersey, brave Kevin Vauquelin trying for an unlikely top-five finish, or Jonas Vingegaard’s absurd time-trial helmet. The story that...

defector.com

 

[Rob5091]

Really good article, using this to reflect on doping in cycling (and lack of curiosity of press corps). Effectively everyone forced to be part of the show as marketing bumps with journalism.

An Anatomy Of The Doping Story That Has The Tour de France Press Room Buzzing | Defector

MONTPELLIER, France — Fifteen stages and two rest days into the Tour de France, the talk of the press room is not Tadej Pogacar rampaging toward his fourth yellow jersey, brave Kevin Vauquelin trying for an unlikely top-five finish, or Jonas Vingegaard’s absurd time-trial helmet. The story that...

defector.com

Thanks a lot for the link! What caught my eye was,

A German outlet reported that the managing director of the Bahrain–Mérida team, Milan Erzen, had asked Schmidt for help setting up some blood doping for his team. Erzen denied involvement, but he still runs a top-level cycling team, a useful illustration of the reality that the sport having moved into a cleaner era doesn't preclude the involvement of people with shady pasts.

I read an article (I'll have to find the link again) from 2018 about the two main teams in Slovenia and there connections to UAE and ... Bahrain V. I nearly posted about it, as this was before Bahrain suddenly began to be "more competitive",then the police raid and Colbrelli nearly dying.

 

[Rob5091]

It seems Rozman was n't the only one trying to get blood doping machines -
https://www.triathlete.com/culture/news/the-latest-doping-scandals-link-to-triathlon

Links emerged between Erzen and Schmidt this week, when French newspaper Le Monde first reported that Erzen used a Croatian intermediary to attempt to buy a centrifuge from Schmidt. Centrifuges are used to oxygenate an athlete’s blood, which is then transfused intravenously before competition.

Edit - add - Filip Tisma who put in a good word for Rozman so Rozman got the job at Sky, is now head mechanic at ... Bahrain.

 

[Fergoose]

Thank you OP for the thread - just another nail in the Froome coffin and good to see UK TV coverage mention this - albeit with no comment from anti-doping hero Dave Millar or former Sky rider Pete Kennaugh.

It would be interesting if Froome would tweet to Rozman but Wiggins, Thomas & Porte did not - as it might indicate a closer relationship with Froome. Although noticeable the quoted Rozman text says "boys" rather than "my guy" were looking for assistance - suggesting at least two offenders on Sky at that time.

Times article doesn't make it clear who alleged the Slovenian with the codename could supply Aicar. Absolutely damning if it is Rozman.

 

[ontheroad]

Ineos could put this story to bed very quickly by answering the simple question. Is Rozman still an employee and if so have they internally sought for him to clarify his links to Schmidt?

Given their stated anti doping policy for staff members surely they must have have internal policies in place given the nature of the links to Schmidt.

How must David Walsh feel after he was embedded with the team and wrote a book and several articles on the team and his full belief in them.

 

[E_F_]

How must David Walsh feel after he was embedded with the team and wrote a book and several articles on the team and his full belief in them.

From what I've heard about David Walsh's claims about cycling since the Armstrong days, it wouldn't surprise me if he's found it to be lucrative to lend credibility to the current peloton - and has stopped being critical.

 

[Rob5091]

Times article doesn't make it clear who alleged the Slovenian with the codename could supply Aicar. Absolutely damning if it is Rozman.

Rozman had contact wiith "Baltazar" and he passed onto Schmidt the contact details (email address and phone number according to ARD), so it seems unlikely Rozman is himself Baltazar. Also it was written that Baltazar was based in Slovenia, not a Slovenian.

 

[Rob5091]

From 2016 - Sergio Henao's "abnormalities from a test carried out at the end of 2013" which lead to Team Sky commissioning their own report after "our initial decision to withdraw him in 2014 was one that we took independently ..." So going from that, Team Sky were doing their own blood tests (with a nice machine brought by Rozman possibly) -
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/team-sky-were-not-responsible-for-publishing-henao-report/

Of course rider's blood reports are being hid behind the "doctor-patient" confidentiality clause. From Dr Freeman's tribunal case in 2020 https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...bunal-in-danger-of-being-delayed-until-easter

The hearing was held in private session on Thursday because there is a shared concern between Team Ineos, British Cycling and the General Medical Council about breaching medical confidentiality by accident if riders’ blood details are put in the public domain, and it will not now resume until next Thursday.

The new data, and the GMC’s desire to establish a “key” so that Freeman can be cross-examined without making riders’ identities obvious, has meant that his evidence has gone on longer than expected.

Edit - add- Of course, the sorry saga of Dr Freeman and his many laptops, means the data has forever been lost, unless it was uploaded somewhere ...
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...third-data-loss-after-uci-request-over-bloods

Team Sky and British Cycling’s former doctor Richard Freeman admitted losing medical information from a third computer after the UCI requested blood data from riders at the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in 2011.

Freeman has previously told the medical tribunal that a Team Sky laptop containing medical records was stolen from him in Greece in 2014, while last week he also admitted to smashing up another laptop to prevent “Indian hackers” from accessing data.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

https://twitter.com/x/status/593475472337575936

View: https://x.com/GeraintThomas86/status/593475472337575936?t=ddYDtCntAQrhEvtAXm75Dg&s=19

 

[Rob5091]

Slovakian? Poor old G's had too many crashes ...

 

[pastronef]

Slovakian? Poor old G's had too many crashes ...

well tbf that could be a joke

 

[Libertine Seguros]

well tbf that could be a joke

Yea, seems pretty clear that the comment is a joke (i.e. he has offended him by calling him Slovak when he's Slovene and that's why he's making Thomas suffer), I assume the tweet was only brought up to draw attention to the continued presence of Rozman over the continued period of dominance so as to pre-empt any attempts to deflect or downplay his involvement with key riders of the time.

 

[Ilmaestro99]

Yea, seems pretty clear that the comment is a joke (i.e. he has offended him by calling him Slovak when he's Slovene and that's why he's making Thomas suffer), I assume the tweet was only brought up to draw attention to the continued presence of Rozman over the continued period of dominance so as to pre-empt any attempts to deflect or downplay his involvement with key riders of the time.

Yes , just wanted to draw attention to rozman being in regular contact with G Thomas.

 

[Fretwork]

Rozman left/was sent away from Ineos today, apparently after the start of an investigation by ITA.

Ineos carer David Rozman leaves Tour de France after investigation launched by anti-doping authorities

The International Testing Agency is to interview the Ineos head carer David Rozman over alleged historical messages in 2012

www.theguardian.com

 

[zlev11]

hope Rozman spills all the beans. he can become a hero a la Landis.

 

[Barkintheeye]

hope Rozman spills all the beans. he can become a hero a la Landis.

The usual fate for whistleblowers is at best dismal and at worst dangerous. For those individuals nothing good will come which is a reminder to those into the game to continue the omertà. A vicious cycle.

 

[zlev11]

The usual fate for whistleblowers is at best dismal and at worst dangerous. For those individuals nothing good will come which is a reminder to those into the game to continue the omertà. A vicious cycle.

still easier to take some kind of plea deal like all of Armstrongs former teammates

 

[Rob5091]

Ineos & Sir Dave leap into action and phone the lawyers ...so Ineos will say nothing because they're waiting on their law firm. Will Rozman be thrown under the bus? Remember, Schmidt was in contact with at least Rozman and someone else at Sky.
https://www.cyclingnews.com/news/in...charged-in-operation-aderlass-doping-scandal/

...the team confirmed that Rozman was contacted in April "informally" by the International Testing Agency, the independent anti-doping authority that performs testing and intelligence-led investigations for cycling at the behest of the UCI....David immediately notified the Team of his meeting with the ITA and his recollection of the contents of the meeting," the team statement read. "Although the ITA assured David at the time that he was not under investigation, Ineos promptly commissioned a thorough review by an external law firm.

 

[Rob5091]

The usual fate for whistleblowers is at best dismal and at worst dangerous. For those individuals nothing good will come which is a reminder to those into the game to continue the omertà. A vicious cycle.

I did read one article which mentioned "russian mafia types" so let's hope Rozman does not "have an accident".

 

[Didinho]

They mentioned him leaving on the Sporza broadcast today. With the whole story and why. It’s getting picked up everywhere now.