Teflon Operacion Galgo survivor exposed : 350 emails leaked to newspaper

[Cloxxki]

Also posted on Velorooms, I wasn't aware The Clinic was up again.

Adrienne Herzog http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adriënne_Herzog was involved in Operacion Galgo, Eufemiano Fuentes' second big raid.

Track running coach Pascua testified under oath (admitting the crime of facilitating doping) that he had helped her with a doping schedule, and introduced her to Fuentes' helper Leon for blood bag juggling, working towards the European Cross-Country Champ. A phone tap on Pascua presented the Spanish police with a conversation with the athlete asking the trainer for EPO.
The proof in all of Galgo was declared invalid. The Dutch athletics union followed the US cycling - Armstrong protocol. They even put her back on the national squad.
Herzog fled her new home Spain, and soon settled in Boulder, only to show in Europe for main races.
Here the trail ended, until this week.

http://www.vn.nl/Archief/Samenlevin...ienne-Herzog-de-atlete-en-de-dopingmails.htm#

VN, a Dutch national newspaper came out with a summary of 350 emails Herzog exchanged with 2 different doping suppliers, especially one based out of Mexico City where she purchased EPO.
All these emails (likely a simple hack job, in 2012 Herzog tweeted that her mail had been hacked) were presented to the reporter, who set out to meticulously research the case and emails.
Opening a new email address with the same alias allowed to ask the Mexican dealer for a check copy. In stead, the dealer sent the whole email exchange to confirm how the deal had gone down. Identical to leaked emails, from a second independent source.

Interview with the reporter/editor here : http://losseveter.nl/blog/herzog-ontkent-volgens-haar-manager-rob-druppers

Some Dutch doping apologists have again cried the pre-expected "witch hunt". This poor girl, what has she done to deserve such bullying? Well, years earlier, her email exchange with a classmate regarding her E*O injection and the allergic reactions she suffered, were leaked to another newspaper by the classmate who was not going to sit on it, looking for a career in aw enforcement (me working from memory). Of course, it was all denied and nothing changed. Never tested positive, so squeaky clean. No proof!

Herzog along with her then-boyfriend Simon Vroemen (steeple chase olympian and convicted doper, as a M40 still reigning national Steeple Chase champ) together were under the management of convicted doping manager Stefan Matschiner. Matschiner still protects her. Vroemen, he's throne under the bus as having been instrumental in getting the Rabobank riders in touch with himself and Human Plasma.

The Dutch Athletics Union, KNAU or AU for short, have been very reluctant to pursue Vroemen for his positives and indiscretions regarding doping. Like he had something on them. When Herzog got herself in the doping press, same thing and worse. Not only was Herzog put back on the team, when she moved to Boulder the national team came to HER for a training camp. She really is the darling of the union, and the enfant terrible of the sport at the same time. Slicker than a block of butter on hot pan.

With the new revalations, again KNAU came out declaring themselves unfit to act as prosecutor in the case. During the Operacion Galgo aftermath, they acted like they did not have access to the publically available police reports.

To be continued, or to be muffled away, again?
My wild guess angle:
More interesting than the doping of a clearly youth traumatized girl with daddy issues, is what she has on the KNAU for them to be so protective of her. Easy to suppose her intel would have come from Vroemen. Would it be about how they tried to muffle his case for them? Or did Vroemen know something on one of the KNAU's prime members? One of note is Ellen van Langen, '92 Barcelona (of all times and places to win) 800m gold medallist. She runs an athlete management firm, promotes the Diamond League, and sits on the KNAU board with amongst other things, anti-doping on her plate. No conflict off interest there, nothing to see here!

 

[Freddythefrog]

Well I think I got most of that. Many thanks. Why isn't Herzog at Moscow or am I missing something ?

So is the real issue Ellen van Langen ?

 

[Cloxxki]

Well I think I got most of that. Many thanks. Why isn't Herzog at Moscow or am I missing something ?

So is the real issue Ellen van Langen ?

She didn't meet the set limits for worlds. Doping is not enough to reach the strict standards Netherlands sets on distance disciplines.

The EvL situation intrigues me. I have ZERO evidence, just a super itchy hunch. And there is a theme. The 1988 Calgary games queen speed skater Yvonne van Gennep set 3 WR's after (just like EvL) a horrendous inury to come back from. Beating out all the east Germans who are universally portrayed as the bad gals. The gals even offered theirr faces for a TV docu on how clean YvG was, and how dirty the Germans. It was stunning TV. Wonder who paid the Germans to sell their good names like that. I digress.

EvL's all too cozy in her many little (super powerful) jobs all around the track. Bubka is small change compared to her.
Her '92 gold time still a totally unchallenged national record (1'55, who runs that anymore anywhere?).
EvL is my childhood hero. As was Nelly Cooman who held the 60m WR for a moment, but she trained under the 80's Dutch version of Victor Conte, also still heavily involved in anything track related. He hates my guts and goes berserk responding to my posts. I keep on exposing him (Henk Kraaijenhof) and he keeps coming back for more. He tries to make us forget the 80's in which he toured the clubs and feds to promote doping, and get people on board. He had the means and the know-how to stay out of detection.

I don't know who else might be the problem at the KNAU, there are more connected people there of course. Some people seem to agree with me that likely Vroemen had dirt on someone at the KNAU, and that Herzog inherited this blackmail. Vroemen took his 2-year ban and as M40 is still winning national titles in Steeple Chase. Not too fazed.

 

[sniper]

...snipped...

interesting stuff, cloxxi. thanks. let's hope this blows up in KNAU's face.

Indeed, nothing to see here.

 

[Gogojv]

I read the Herzog files and they are quite interesting. Mainly because you have 2 top woman atletes discussing their doping strategy.
how not to get caught, sharing doping supplies, what works when etc. also interesting to c there is a Leuven connection.

Is this proof.
The e-mails are 99% from Herzog but it is no proof. So she can not be suspended. No E. Van L theories neaded.
Same was with Vroemen.

I hardly know anything about dutch atletics except that we suck at it.
So a 40yo can still win in his niche.
We even suck more then i expected. The last 3WC we had 1 bronzen medal in 7-camp for the rest no medals and most of the guys already out in series.

 

[Cloxxki]

I read the Herzog files and they are quite interesting. Mainly because you have 2 top woman atletes discussing their doping strategy.
how not to get caught, sharing doping supplies, what works when etc. also interesting to c there is a Leuven connection.

Is this proof.
The e-mails are 99% from Herzog but it is no proof. So she can not be suspended. No E. Van L theories neaded.
Same was with Vroemen.

I hardly know anything about dutch atletics except that we suck at it.
So a 40yo can still win in his niche.
We even suck more then i expected. The last 3WC we had 1 bronzen medal in 7-camp for the rest no medals and most of the guys already out in series.

I also fear it's not enough to ban Herzog. It may break her career though, if it doesn't break her first. Her life story reads like a pretty compelling movie script. Prefontaine is a total bore in comparison. I don't like the direction of the Herzog movie thusfar. We're at east 80% in, and it doesn't look good, not good at all. She's (gotten herself) in way more trouble than just getting a ban. She'd be the serial doping protagonist we all be rooting for.

My EvL suspicion/fear is a bonus for The Clinic folks to ponder on. This case seems totally sealed, I can't get anything useful. She's a legend, and she wrote her history herself (beloved newspaper columnist also, I forgot).

The ones who train in NL suck yeah, apart from deca/heptathletes.
This is actually a good thing, in a way. It seems extremely hard for athletes to get proper dope support here, should they seek it. Even some bike riders claim to have driven to Spain to get their EPO fix (could be lame excuse).
Anyway, we know Rabobank riders had to go to Austria for blood bag doping (Vroemen brokered that for them). You'd think a Rabo would know where it's at.
There just isn't the public dope doc culture as far as I'm aware. Or it's so well kept as a secret, even the pro athletes can't find them, and they are not found themselves, as they could out you easily.

I see supremely talented athletes training in very strong groups under highly knowledgeable trainers, and do well, but never suspiciously so. Most encouraging. My own track club is home to pretty much all the Antilles sprinters, and they perform decently, but not exceedingly so. Only Martina who trains in the US, runs 100m sub-10 on a good day in a good season.
Also, Dutch athletes who make it to diamond league level tend to suffer from injuries way more often than foreigners. Hard to get them through a single season. Bad docs? Encouraging nevertheless.

 

[mudbone]

So is the real issue Ellen van Langen ?

are you really suggesting this person took drugs?

 

[Gogojv]

she indeeds looks like a troubled girl. In older pictures you c a very pretty enthousiastic girl running. Then troubled relationships. (Vroemen years older then her, boyfriend dies in car accident)
Also f.i.700 Dollars for doping is a huge cost for her. Also got the feeling somebody(ex-boyfriend?) ratted out on her.

Hardly doping in dutch atletics.
It is nice to c what is not in her e-mails.
- Not buying doping in Holland.
- No dutch doctors involved.
- Not training in Holland.
- Except for Vroemen no names of other dutch atletes mentioned.

 

[Cloxxki]

she indeeds looks like a troubled girl. In older pictures you c a very pretty enthousiastic girl running. Then troubled relationships. (Vroemen years older then her, boyfriend dies in car accident)
Also f.i.700 Dollars for doping is a huge cost for her. Also got the feeling somebody(ex-boyfriend?) ratted out on her.

Hardly doping in dutch atletics.
It is nice to c what is not in her e-mails.
- Not buying doping in Holland.
- No dutch doctors involved.
- Not training in Holland.
- Except for Vroemen no names of other dutch atletes mentioned.

If there is a Dutch doping scene in athletics, she's clearly been expelled from it, long ago.

From what I heard her dad ran her youth career. When in the car to or from a race, her folks didn't allow her to talk about anything but running to club mates. Eerie. Don't suppose too quickly her childhood was happy. Anorexic in 2000 also. Troubled may be an understatement. The typical case would be that she ran away from home to Spain and USA, but is still trying to please her daddy. The much older race legend boyfriends are a hint.
Some dopers I want exposed because they're evil, Herzog I want to get help.

 

[sniper]

she indeeds looks like a troubled girl. In older pictures you c a very pretty enthousiastic girl running. Then troubled relationships. (Vroemen years older then her, boyfriend dies in car accident)
Also f.i.700 Dollars for doping is a huge cost for her. Also got the feeling somebody(ex-boyfriend?) ratted out on her.

Hardly doping in dutch atletics.
It is nice to c what is not in her e-mails.
- Not buying doping in Holland.
- No dutch doctors involved.
- Not training in Holland.
- Except for Vroemen no names of other dutch atletes mentioned.

that's rather premature and an exaggeration of what cloxxki is saying.
perhaps 'comparatively little doping', or 'ineffective doping', is a more realistic thing to say.
cloxxki is only noticing that peds appear to be hard to come by in the netherlands, which in itself is indeed an encouraging signal, but doesn't warrant the conclusion that there is 'hardly doping' going on in dutch athletics..

 

[sniper]

she indeeds looks like a troubled girl. In older pictures you c a very pretty enthousiastic girl running. Then troubled relationships. (Vroemen years older then her, boyfriend dies in car accident)
Also f.i.700 Dollars for doping is a huge cost for her. Also got the feeling somebody(ex-boyfriend?) ratted out on her.

Hardly doping in dutch atletics.
It is nice to c what is not in her e-mails.
- Not buying doping in Holland.
- No dutch doctors involved.
- Not training in Holland.
- Except for Vroemen no names of other dutch atletes mentioned.

cloxxki is noticing that peds appear to be hard to come by in the netherlands, which in itself is indeed an encouraging signal, but imo that doesn't warrant the conclusion that there is 'hardly doping' going on in dutch athletics.
perhaps 'comparatively little doping', or 'ineffective doping', for now, is a more realistic thing to say.

 

[Cloxxki]

that's rather premature and an exaggeration of what cloxxki is saying.
perhaps 'comparatively little doping', or 'ineffective doping', is a more realistic thing to say.
cloxxki is only noticing that peds appear to be hard to come by in the netherlands, which in itself is indeed an encouraging signal, but doesn't warrant the conclusion that there is 'hardly doping' going on in dutch athletics..

Indeed, or at least no weird performances. The track scene is not as strong as it once was. Not many people at the top. But if someone would be able to get primo doping in The Netherlands, Herzog would be the one. Ultimately connected. Darling of the federation. Ex-boyfriend doper(s) still devoted to her.

Surely Dutch cycling teams know where it's at, but they are not returning Vroemen's favor by letting a whole bunch of runners in on it.

If someone is doping IN the country, they sure are wasting their money and energy on it, as it's not helping much. You could wonder about the deca/heptathletes (5 present in Moscow) but they don't have such reputations.

 

[Freddythefrog]

Cloxxki, this is a great thread. The points are all made and I will not repeat them. The fundamental is: if it waddles, swims, flaps and quacks like a duck, in elite World sport, it probably is a duck. Which is why we are all so skeptical about Sky.

So if we have PEDs hard to come by in Holland now, what was the scene like in say the early 90s, as the peloton went to near 100% EPO usage. We have Peter Post and his gang rocket fueled, where were they getting the gear ?

Say where would somebody like Dirk Nachtergaele fit in ?

 

[Cloxxki]

Cloxxki, this is a great thread. The points are all made and I will not repeat them. The fundamental is: if it waddles, swims, flaps and quacks like a duck, in elite World sport, it probably is a duck. Which is why we are all so skeptical about Sky.

So if we have PEDs hard to come by in Holland now, what was the scene like in say the early 90s, as the peloton went to near 100% EPO usage. We have Peter Post and his gang rocket fueled, where were they getting the gear ?

Say where would somebody like Dirk Nachtergaele fit in ?

I think it's different when you're on a pro tour team vs. on a track team and by yourself good enough to challenge for admission to large tournaments.
And times may have changed.

In the 80's, there was a strong division in the Track&Field worlds of Netherlands and Belgium between the pro-doping and anti-doping clans.
One of the leaders of the pro-doping clan, highly respected trainer, writer and scientist Henk Kraaijenhof, was very much a Victor Conte off his time. His athletes (yes, local ones!!) would soon reach world records after hiring him. He was known to employ a Heredia like character. Multiple ex-athletes mentioned him as doping king pin in their published biographies. He's teflon too. Did a spekaing tour of clubs and federations to promote doping use, and offer help on how to stay undetected. Never got called on it, and is a regular TV speaker when it concerns sports science or doping issues.
On internet forums, he is extremely doping tolerant (yes a guy like him actually posting under his own name, crazy). Totally hates my guts as I keep calling him on what he really is. Plays the ad hominem game all the time, rarely offers on topic insights, quite unwise all. He's old, of course, thinks he can win an argument by being nasty and consistent, even when fighting truth.

The KNAU has a new director, Joop Alberda, former volleybal coach who got NL the Olympic gold back then. He brought the team from nowhere to unbeatable, and after he left they were nobodies again. Anyway, Alberda in his infinite wisdom immediately hired Kraaijenhof in an "advisory" role.
Alberda's thing is getting things done. The national Olympic committee invests in Track&Field and they don't want the sport to suck. Medals they want. Alberda will supply them.
What baffles me...which athlete in their right mind would want to be associated with Victor Conte as having assisted in sports related context? Kraaijenhof hasn't done jail time, but there really is no doubt in insiders' minds as to his role in global sports.

How this ties in with Herzog...well, insiders are reporting to me that there is a doping clan still active within Dutch athletics. They may not be practicing anymore (my opinion) but they are scratching each others bag nicely. Herzog is "in", and has been pampered like Jamaica treats Bolt. Except, she sucks and only performs in cross. And she gets her name connected to doping all the friggin' time. Hard to come up with a bike rider to compare her to. Maybe Jeannie Longo. And Armstrong-US Cycling of course.

 

[iejeecee]

The KNAU has a new director, Joop Alberda, former volleybal coach who got NL the Olympic gold back then.
He brought the team from nowhere to unbeatable, and after he left they were nobodies again.

Not here to derail this thread, but the above quote is just completely false.

The dutch gold medal volleyball team was built by Arie Selinger over many many years. They were world class long before Alberda took over,
in fact they won olympic silver in Barcelona four years earlier FFS.

And on Kraaijenhof. I remember a televised discussion on the NOS about doping a long time ago where he was part of the panel and his arguments were quite reasonable.
It's just that he has a fundamentally different view on doping. E.g. someone would say doping is unfair, and he would counter with "is being born in a first world country fair?
having access to the best facilities, coaches etc, compared to someone born in Africa for example".

Sport at it's most basic level is all about unfairness and inequalities, and maximizing those to your own advantage.
However much we want to believe differently.

The problem I personally have with doping is all the lying and hypocrisy going on, whether it's athletes, coaches or the media.
They all treat the public like a bunch of idiots, which is grating to say the least.

 

[Cloxxki]

I stand corrected on the volleyball thing, thanks for that.

Kraaijenhof is simply a doping apologist, administrator and dealer. He actively promoted doping. Toured the clubs and feds with it. It was his way to level the playing field with the powerful track nations such as the US.

I'll post W. Geeroms' (a hurdles star and trainer) view on the situation. Sorry, it's in Dutch. More such clear cut pieces are available on Kraaijenhof, and he never dared deny it. Likely afraid of a cascade evidence that surely is still out there.

http://tinypic.com/r/oisw8i/5
Until recently the book didn't even have a code to find it by, probably only a tiny run was printed. I would buy the book if I knew how.
By my knowledge, it's the only excerpt ever published from it. If you're a Dutch speaker, you can tell how sincere the wording comes across from an anti-doping trainer who did deliver champions.

 

[Cloxxki]

To be complete, Herzog alongside Vroemen also trained under Helmut Stechemesser, who was later implicated by Stephanie Graf as having made an appointment for her with Human Plasma. Graf got a ban for her involvement, long after having retired.

 

[sniper]

Sport at it's most basic level is all about unfairness and inequalities, and maximizing those to your own advantage.
However much we want to believe differently.

i do believe differently.
at its most basic level, sport is void of PEDs.
topsport is not sport at its most basic level though.

 

[GJB123]

I stand corrected on the volleyball thing, thanks for that.

Kraaijenhof is simply a doping apologist, administrator and dealer. He actively promoted doping. Toured the clubs and feds with it. It was his way to level the playing field with the powerful track nations such as the US.

I'll post W. Geeroms' (a hurdles star and trainer) view on the situation. Sorry, it's in Dutch. More such clear cut pieces are available on Kraaijenhof, and he never dared deny it. Likely afraid of a cascade evidence that surely is still out there.

http://tinypic.com/r/oisw8i/5
Until recently the book didn't even have a code to find it by, probably only a tiny run was printed. I would buy the book if I knew how.
By my knowledge, it's the only excerpt ever published from it. If you're a Dutch speaker, you can tell how sincere the wording comes across from an anti-doping trainer who did deliver champions.

Volleyball might not be devoid of doping but there is luckily a very objective standard to measure the potential of any volleyball team. If you can field 10 good players who are well over 2 meters tall, you have a very good chance at success. We are just very lucky that we are on average one of the tallest people in the world, but unfortunately there aren't so many of us, hence the up and down character of successes in volleyball for the Netherlands.

 

[GJB123]

i do believe differently.
at its most basic level, sport is void of PEDs.
topsport is not sport at its most basic level though.

You are missing his point. Sport in itself is simply not fair. Never was, never will be. Top sport just magnifies that.

 

[Benotti69]

You are missing his point. Sport in itself is simply not fair. Never was, never will be. Top sport just magnifies that.

No sport is not fair, just like life. In sport there are rules that mean those partaking compete on the fairest field possible.

Just becuase natural talent is not given out evenly, does not excuse doping. Plenty have made up for lack of talent with hard work and intelligence.

 

[sniper]

You are missing his point. Sport in itself is simply not fair. Never was, never will be. Top sport just magnifies that.

i wasn't missing the point, i was disagreeing with it.
I think you, on the other hand, missed both ijeecees point (paraphrasing Kraaijenhof: 'sport isn't fair anyway, so why should we make such a big deal out of doping') and my reply to it, probably because i didn't spell it out for you.

Just becuase natural talent is not given out evenly, does not excuse doping.

this indeed.

 

[horsinabout]

Sport at it's most basic level is all about unfairness and inequalities, and maximizing those to your own advantage.
However much we want to believe differently.

The problem I personally have with doping is all the lying and hypocrisy going on, whether it's athletes, coaches or the media.
They all treat the public like a bunch of idiots, which is grating to say the least.

i do believe differently.
at its most basic level, sport is void of PEDs.
topsport is not sport at its most basic level though.

You are missing his point. Sport in itself is simply not fair. Never was, never will be. Top sport just magnifies that.

Another point would be – there are natures laws and man's laws, don't get the two confused.

Case in point - someone may win a race because they have been born with greater natural talent, genetics or are better responders to training. These are nature's laws. Then we may assume that people with these talents magnate towards doing sport because of those talents, given the social outlet of those sports. Then this will usually make for even competition given all else being equal. Hard work and dedication can be a great equaliser too.

Man's laws on the other hand, and more so under an elitist system (especially where it involves doping and corruption) will never be equal regardless of natural talent, as the dice are rolled in favour of those who please the system, and natures laws are
kibosh.

And under man's condition doping is just another corrupting tool to gain an advantage in a win at all cost scenario. This to all intent and purpose is what “anti doping” is – namely, rolling the dice in your favour.
Like in the Olympics - host nation jingoism. Just another way of telling a neighbouring country to go f**k themselves in no uncertain terms.

And one could argue that this is what nature does in survival of the fittest......well wrong, nature is about survival. Man is political. Another big old difference right there.

 

[Cloxxki]

This thing keeps reading like a movie script (I've got dibs on the rights).

The guy implicated (in track gossip and on forums) as having stolen the emails is yet another ex-boyfriend. Niels van Dijk, young 400m athlete.
This kid is a club mate to the journalist who broke te story.

And, Herzog was apparently spending time with him in The Netherlands when her fiance met his untimely death in a bike accident back home. Then, she took the role of grieving widow and accepted monetary donations related to her grave loss. And continued doping (that stuff costs!) to be able to dedicate a big win to him. Those federation allowances for so-called top athletes really are so restrictive...

The new boyfriend came over to Boulder, they did the happy couple thing. Got dumped, and took her down.
No official denial from him as yet. And why should he. He got dumped, was never 1st choice, so did the thing he was supposed to do as her ex - took revenge by leaking some sensitive emails.
And Herzog can't send her shady lawyers to him, as that would be acknowledging the authenticity of the emails.
Just asking the guy if he was the one that stole the emails may suffice in proving authenticity of the emails. He may even have thousands more easily checked, who knows?

 

[GJB123]

No sport is not fair, just like life. In sport there are rules that mean those partaking compete on the fairest field possible.

Just becuase natural talent is not given out evenly, does not excuse doping. Plenty have made up for lack of talent with hard work and intelligence.

I never said it excuses doping. Your problem is that you think far too one-dimensional, black and white. It's more a philosophical discussion (at least to me it is) that sports, top sports and life for that matter are all inherently unfair. Whether or not that excuses doping or not is for everybody to decide on their own. I understand why people dope, but I don't like it.