Valverde?

[Clemson Cycling]

Why did this guy never get a two year ban? It seems pretty ridiculous that a guy that was caught doping and given a trial is still able to ride his bike and win Grand Tours. I don't understand it at all.

 

[IntheMidwest]

Why did this guy never get a two year ban? It seems pretty ridiculous that a guy that was caught doping and given a trial is still able to ride his bike and win Grand Tours. I don't understand it at all.

Because he didn't admit to it. (Or admit to intending to dope - love that one!)
Typical stuff, wrap the case up forever, keep delaying it, keep denying everthing and it fades away. Sad.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

When was he caught doping?

Susan

 

[Clemson Cycling]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alejandro_Valverde

Alejandro Valverde has been linked by documentary and DNA evidence to the Operación Puerto, a blood-doping affair which erupted in 2006 against doctor Eufemiano Fuentes and a number of accomplices. It uncovered doping products, bags of blood and code names that appeared to link top athletes, including 60 cyclists, to a highly-organized system of doping, which relied heavily on blood transfusions.

Valverde was not initially linked in the investigation, but internal documents from Madrid's Court 31 allegedly linked Valverde to confiscated blood via codes Valv, Piti and 18. In 2007 Valverde was banned by the International Cycling Union (UCI) from competing in the UCI Road World Championships in Stuttgart but Valverde was cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport to compete at the championships. Richard Pound, World Anti-Doping Agency president, said the CAS decision didn’t mean that Valverde was no longer a suspect.

In early 2009 the Italian National Olympic Committee matched DNA samples taken from Valverde during a rest day in Italy of the 2008 Tour de France to blood seized in the Operación Puerto investigation. At a February 2009 appearance in front of the Olympic Committee, Valverde maintained his innocence and questioned the Italians' jurisdiction over this case. In May 2009, the Italian Olympic Committee suspended him from competition in Italy for 2 years, effectively barring him from the 2009 Tour de France, which detoured briefly onto Italian soil. Valverde filed an appeal against the Italian ban with the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which has a hearing scheduled for January 12-14, 2010. In a second hearing, scheduled for March 18-21, the UCI and WADA will contest the Spanish Cycling Federation's decision not to open a case against Valverde.

 

[Big GMaC]

When was he caught doping?

Susan

Please tell me this is meant to be ironic Susan...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

but the point is, it isn't ironic, nor need it be: Alejandro Valverde has never been caught doping. That doesn't mean he hasn't, nor that there isn't a mountain of evidence that he has - he has, and there is. But he's not been caught actually doing it, and the closure of the investigation has meant that he's been able to ride on. Just like all of those other guys at the time who've never been suspended - David Blanco, Tino Zaballa, and so on. Hell, David Bernabéu escaped what would (or should) have been a life ban since he'd already been popped a few years before Puerto.

As long as those guys are still riding, Valverde would feel aggrieved to be banned, even though he should have been.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Define "when". Also define "caught" and define "doping". Then we'll know when he was caught doping.

As to why he wasn't suspended - it's because he was "caught" in the operation puerto mess, and hardly anyone from that who was caught was ever really suspended. Only a few big name riders kept from riding. Valverde's case is about as complex as it gets, and there are volumes of information out there on it.

 

[blackcat]

Define "is" "was" Alpe.

Very post modern.

 

[skidmark]

Like Alpe said, there's plenty of info on his case. IIRC last I heard the first CAS verdict is coming down this month, the second one (more important vis-a-vis global ban) is to follow.

 

[Susan Westemeyer]

To date, the Italians have linked him to Fuentes and suspended him for that. If you like, you can say the Italians found him guilty of doping and suspended him.

No one else has "caught him doping".

Susan

 

[Hugh Januss]

Valverde has been "caught doping" to about the same degree that Lance has.

 

[Trev_S]

Valverde has been "caught doping" to about the same degree that Lance has.

Nah!, wouldn't it be more like to the same degree as Ullrich and Basso, Blood bags found and matched???

 

[Hugh Januss]

Nah!, wouldn't it be more like to the same degree as Ullrich and Basso, Blood bags found and matched???

Ok, same as Basso and Armstrong. Ullrich wasn't ever convicted or tested positive, he just retired before they had the chance.

 

[gingerwallaceafro]

Valverde has been "caught doping" to about the same degree that Lance has.

How do you work that out?

 

[elapid]

Why did this guy never get a two year ban? It seems pretty ridiculous that a guy that was caught doping and given a trial is still able to ride his bike and win Grand Tours. I don't understand it at all.

The Spanish judiciary shut down the case. Nothing to do with the RFEC, although many have accused them of being slow.

CONI collected blood from Valverde during a race in Italy and matched the DNA of this blood to his alleged bag of blood from Operacion Puerto (valv_piti, which also contained EPO). How CONI got the bag of blood is unknown considering that the Spanish judiciary closed the case and specifically stated that the evidence (ie, bags of blood) could not be used in further legal proceedings. How CONI were able to suspend an athlete not under their jurisdiction is also confusing and potentially illegal.

Why isn't he suspended? Well, the case is being reviewed by CAS. However, it is a legal quagmire, more so than most other doping cases, considering that CONI contravened a different country's jurisdiction and disrespected the cycling body of the athlete in question (RFEC). Then there is also the case that Valverde is kind of a scapegoat for Operacion Puerto considering the number of athletes, not only cyclists, that were involved and are continuing to race (and yes, some were forced to retire, three admitted to their guilt without testing positive, and many continued cycling for lower level professional teams or worse). IMO, Valverde should not be suspended unless they can make a case against everyone involved in Operacion Puerto. There are plenty of threads on this topic, usually in the Clinic, where these arguments have raged before!

 

[Hugh Januss]

How do you work that out?

Well Valverde never actually tested positive, or admitted to doping on his hospital bed, or hired a known doping doc to be his coa........oh hang on scratch that last one.

 

[usedtobefast]

Well Valverde never actually tested positive, or admitted to doping on his hospital bed, or hired a known doping doc to be his coa........oh hang on scratch that last one.

every time i see your new avatar, i start laughing. doping indeed.

 

[Hugh Januss]

every time i see your new avatar, i start laughing. doping indeed.

I am an antidoping Samurai Warrior.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

Define "is" "was" Alpe.

Maybe I should change my Avatar too. What do you think?

 

[fatandfast]

The Italians like Monica should hold so,so tightly that ***** covered cocktail dress and any soiled blood bag. The UCI has bags in the fridge,some in the garbage and others not even taken. Valverde should race proud knowing that the organization that should be guarding the the precious product that is pro racing, is instead letting some chubby fu-king race promoter perform some curbside justice that all the police,cash and technology only gave us a handjob. The UCI should say if Valverde can't race neither can anybody else. I remember being in India watching a guy in a fender bender get beaten with clubs of wood because that was the way justice was dispensed in that area. You clowns can't keep track of 900 riders? There are lots of businessmen in Dubai that can run pro cycling through simplicity.1 organization for pros 1000's more for everybody else. Valverde should be the cycling Jesus

 

[flicker]

Protected by FIFA Spanish football league. Grand Protector of Spanish sports dopers. Protector of Valverde.

 

[Ferminal]

Remember, Alejandro has never owned/met a dog called Piti, therefore he can't get suspended. How stupid of people to think he doped just because his name was mentioned in relation to a dog which he has never heard of. For all we know it was Piti's (the dog!) blood. Afterall, Fuentes knows no boundaries.

 

[flicker]

how come ullrich, basso Di Lucca and vino were nailed but val-piti walked>

 

[Hugh Januss]

how come ullrich, basso Di Lucca and vino were nailed but val-piti walked>

Ullrich wasn't nailed, he retired to avoid persecution (sorry I mean prosecution). Di Lucca and Vinokourov both tested positive. The difference between Basso and Valverde comes down to whether or not their respective national federations wanted to go after them or not. Maybe the Spanish fed felt more constrained to abide by what their court said about using the evidence in other cases, or maybe they just didn't want to catch one of (or more?) their big stars.

 

[flicker]

how come ullrich, basso Di Lucca and vino were nailed but val-piti walked>

I thought they were originally all in the same ring with Emannulle