[Heidi]

Wow, they pulled their sponsorship. Started with Heras and now it's ending with Saiz. They've just had enough. Pour Vino.

 

[DRB]

Wow, they pulled their sponsorship. Started with Heras and now it's ending with Saiz. They've just had enough. Pour Vino.

dammit beat to the punch......

In the wake of Manolo Saiz's recent detention for his alleged involvement in a blood doping program along with four other people, Spanish news agency EFE has just released a newsflash, announcing primary sponsor Liberty Seguros have chosen to cancel their cycling sponsorship from the Liberty Seguros-Würth team, effective immediately. The team's press officer, Jacinto Vidarte, has confirmed the annoucement with Cyclingnews.

No doubt, a clause exists in Liberty Seguros' contract with Active Bay SL, the team's holding company, enabling the former to annul their sponsorship contract if a widespread doping situation arises. How this will affect the six riders currently racing the Giro d'Italia or the future of the team is not yet known.

 

[Heidi]

Like they said in Eurosport, there is a transfer period coming up in June and another team could pick up Vino then. Wow.

 

[DRB]

Like they said in Eurosport, there is a transfer period coming up in June and another team could pick up Vino then. Wow.

I'm guessing none of the top flight teams but I'd guess that one of the French teams maybe interested like AG2R, Française des Jeux, or even Cofidis. If he wants into the tour, he's not going to have a lot of time to be picky.

 

[splat]

wow that is big ! Hopefully all this crap may be a wake up call. losing a big sponser like that definatly going to be felt.

 

[DRB]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/may06/may26news

Ullrich and Basso deny involvement with Fuentes

Two big riders named by Spanish media outlets in conjunction with the "Operacion Puerto" affair have denied any involvement with Dr. Eufamiano Fuentes, who is alleged to be one of the key figures in supplying doping and blood transfusions to athletes. Giro d'Italia leader Ivan Basso said that he has never had anything to do with Fuentes, while T-Mobile's captain Jan Ullrich also said, "I have never worked together with Fuentes."

The Spanish civil guard allegedly found a list with 200 Spanish and non-Spanish riders names linked to doping practices after searching two flats belonging to Fuentes and the laboratory of Jose Luis Merino Batres.

Meanwhile, Liberty Seguros team director Marino Lejarreta said that the team will complete the Giro d'Italia, even though several riders have already dropped out. "We can also finish this season without a sponsor," he said. It's not known whether the team's co-sponsor Würth is pulling out.

 

[JRB]

Damn.

 

[jaydee]

Discovery should pick up Vino. Right now they have a team ready-made to win a Tour except for one thing, a Tour winner.

 

[MtnbikeMike]

Could this be Festina Pt. II?

The center of scandal is a three-month investigation by Spain's anti-doping brigade which includes wire taps and video surveillance of Fuentes and other associates. Others detained included Comunitat Valenciana assistant directeur sportif Ignacio Labarta, José Luis Merino, director of a Madrid blood transfusion center, and former pro mountain biker Alberto Leon.

Authorities raided four apartments Tuesday and claim to have found 200 packages of blood as well as thousands of doses of human-growth hormones, EPO and anabolic steroids that included codes to indicate which rider should receive the injections.

El Pais reported Thursday that as many as 200 riders could be implicated. One of them, T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich, has denied reports on Spain's Cadena SER radio that he has worked with fuentes

http://www.velonews.com/news/fea/9913.0.html

 

[Heidi]

HAHAHA - Oscar Seviila says he might be in the photos the civil guard took of people going into the lab. Ohhhh, it has just begun.