Saunier Duval angry

Saunier Duval is not happy with two of their riders being suspected of doping. The Saunier Duval management has stated their disgust regarding newspapers making big headlines of alleged doping when it comes to Piepoli and our own Iban. Iban has, as you all know, been cleared without any problems whatsoever, but Piepoli is still under "investigation". Saunier Duval released an official statement regarding the matter, and here it is in full version:

With regards the indiscreet remarks which have appeared in recent hours in some media sources, and after having received confirmation from the UCI, SAUNIER DUVAL-PRODIR bitterly denies the rumour that two of its riders were involved in a case of doping during the recent Giro d´Italia.In the case of Iban Mayo, his situation has already been cleared up and his case will shortly be closed. As for Piepoli, his non-negative result relates to Salbutamol, a substance found in medicines commonly used by those suffering from respiratory problems, in most cases provoked by allergies. In order to be able to use these medicines during the competitions, Piepoli, along with other professional cyclists, holds a certificate approved by the Medical Commission of the UCI. The concentration above the permitted limit found in his urine is still being analysed in a Barcelona laboratory, where the causes of this result should be established, taking into account a series of parameters among which his weight of 54 kilograms will be considered.We are confidently awaiting the official results of these analyses but, at the present moment, any conclusion would be groundless. We remind the public that prior cases of non-negatives have already been found and that, following subsequent analyses and the review of reports and medical permits, the vast majority of these cases result in the rider in question being cleared of all blame. However, in these previous cases, the names of the athletes involved had never been revealed to the public at such a premature stage. For this reason, we firmly condemn and show our profound disagreement with the unfortunate leaking of these recent stories, and reserve the right to take relevant action against those who have been able to harm, through simple rumours, the image of our riders and sponsors.

I comletely agree with them, as certain newspapers are trying to make controversy and scandals all over the place, without any evidence to back them up. Because of unfounded allegations, Iban and Piepoli`s image, as well as Saunier Duval`s, has been tainted. But, I hope people don`t regard Iban as a cheater, as he most surely isn`t. You`re all allowed to have your own opinion, but he should be trusted I think.

Millar trusts Iban

Saunier Duval TT specialist, and former admitted doper, David Millar has stated that he believes that both Iban and Leonardo Pieopli are clean. Speaking on the last few day`s doping controversy, he said: "They are both non-negative. Leo has a certificate for asthma, while Iban has a testosterone history. It`s necessary to give them the benefit of the doubt. You can never be 100 % sure, and it`s always necessary to have doubts. But in my view, they deserve my trust. If I`m wrong, that would be a pity. That would ruin our friendship".

Iban cleared

Iban has now officially been cleared of any wrong doing in relation to the "non-negative" doping test. Though I was quite confident of the outcome, you`re always bound to be nervous, so it`s no doubt a relief as well. I`m not suspicious of Iban at all, as he proved that he`s got naturally high testosterone levels years ago. This isn`t the first time this has happened to Iban either, it`s happened several times. Anyway, I`m just glad for him as well. Must have been awful for him. Well, here`s the statement the UCI released earlier today:


The UCI has noted press reports about three purportedly abnormal analysis results linked to the last Giro d'Italia. While regretting the premature publication of this news item, the UCI wishes to clarify the following points.
No breach of the UCI antidoping rules was committed by the Spanish rider Iban Mayo of the Saunier Duval team. A further examination conducted by IRMS has enabled any possibility of testosterone administration to be ruled out. This further analysis was requested by the UCI following the notification by the Rome laboratory of a T/E value in excess of the norm laid down in the rules; that finding made further examinations necessary. The history of this particular case shows the vital need to await the closure of the relevant investigations before reaching conclusions.
In the other cases, the analyses requested by the UCI are still in progress.

Igor 3rd and Haimar 6th on Ventoux

It was a highly pleasing day in the Dauphiné Libéré today for Euskaltel. On the fourth stage, ending ontop the legendary Mont Ventoux, Igor Antón got a brilliant 3rd place, while Haimar was also showing excellent form with a 6th place. And if that wasn`t good enough, another Euskaltel rider came in with the main contenders. Mikel Astarloza rode heroically, attacking several times, and came in 18th eventually. As a result, Euskaltel won the team ranking for the day, and lies 3rd overall in that competition. All three riders seem to be approaching Tour form, and Igor looks to be on fire. He left the poursuivants with 3 km to go to try top catch up with Moreau and Szmyd, who had gotten clear some 10 km earlier. He didn`t make it, but made up a considerable amount of time. He crossed the line in amazing 3rd position. Brilliant riding from Euskaltel. Complete stage results:

• 3rd, Igor Antón, 1:21


• 6th, Haimar Zubeldia, 1:56


• 18th, Mikel Astarloza, 2:46


• 59th, Iñigo Landaluze, 10:25


• 61st, Gorka Verdugo, 10:25


• 96th, Rubén Pérez, 16:43


• 97th, Unai Uribarri, 16:43


• 112th, Jorge Azanza, 17:19

On GC, Haimar is an excellent 8th, while Mikel is 16th. Aupa Euskaltel!

No Iban positive

Well, this whole situation about Iban and this positive test is just a complete mess. Has Iban even been tested? Has he returned a positive sample? According to "Matxin" Fernández, sports director at Saunier, the answer to these questions are both "no".

The news of three positives in the Giro broke yesterday. The Gazzetta dello Sport claimed one Spaniard and two Italians had returned positive tests. Though, why Iban is supposed to be this Spaniard no one knows. It seems that this is just a rumour. According to the Gazzetta, the Spaniard in question was caught with elevated testosterone levels. The name of the rider has not been made official, but as Iban has a certificate for high levels of testosterone, and has encountered similar problems earlier, people started to think Iban was the one. Though, this is in fact impossible, as the test that returned positive with testosterone was taken after the Monte Zoncolan stage. Iban did not do any kinds of tests after that stage. The only riders to be tested that day was Simoni and Piepoli. Iban was only tested after his stage win on the 19th stage. Further, Saunier Duval has not received any kind of notification on Iban testing positive, so everything seems to be just bullshit. So, all Iban fans, I think we can relax. When "Matxin" was asked why people mentioned Iban in this case, he said: "Because everyone knows Iban has got a certificate (for natural high testosterone levels). And, no one has said anything to us about Iban. We`ve spoken to the UCI, and they`ve said there`s no problem". I guess that sums it all up quite well...

Iban?

I don`t know what`s going on right now, I`m just really lost for words... According to several sources, Iban has tested positive for "elevated testosterone levels". He allegedly tested positive during the Giro recently, but the test will likely not result in any ban or anything, as Iban has, though I must admit I`ve never heard of it before, documented to the UCI that he`s got natural high testosterone levels earlier. The UCI will comment further on the case when all the tests have been examined further. I guess as he`s already documented high levels of testosterone, this is all just a formality. But, if it`s not just a formality, I don`t know what I`m going to do.... But, I still believe this will sort itself out. Aupa Iban!

Disappointing TT

Today`s ITT in the Dauphiné Libéré did not produce the results I was hoping for. I had hoped to see Haimar and Mikel among, say, the 25 best. Haimar wasn`t too far off in 33rd, but Mikel was a worrying 42nd, while Gorka Verdugo rode well to finish 46th. Sure, there`s still time to go before the Tour, but I had hoped to see them finish higher up the rankings. Though, I`m sure tomorrow`s stage to the Mont Ventoux will tell us more about their state of form. Complete results:

• 33rd, Haimar Zubeldia, 3:18


• 42nd, Mikel Astarloza, 3:38


• 46th, Gorka Verdugo, 3:43


• 71st, Rubén Pérez, 4:52


• 89th, Unai Uribarri, 5:25


• 106th, Iñigo Landaluze, 5:58


• 130th, Jorge Azanza, 7:30


• 132nd, Igor Antón, 7:42

Tour de Suisse team

Euskaltel will field the following 8 riders for the Pro Tour stage-race Tour de Suisse starting on Saturday: Juan José Oroz, Iban Mayoz, Jon Bru, Aitor Galdos, Antton Luengo, Iván Velasco, Beñat Albizuri and Andoni Aranaga. Especially Aitor and Juanjo will be looking to impress, as they`re both candidates for the Tour de France team. More on the Tour de Suisse later.

Rubén 12th on stage 2 of Dauphiné

Rubén Pérez was once again Euskaltel`s best placed rider in the Dauphiné today. Yesterday, he came in 17th in a mass-sprint, while he was 12th today, coming home 33 seconds behind breakaway winner Moreau and runner-up Redondo. On this slightly hilly day of racing, the peloton was made up of only 93 riders. All Euskaltel riders came in with this group of riders, except for Jorge Azanza, who`s still finding his feet after returning from injury, and Unai Uribarri. Jorge came in a distant 139th, 14:42 down, while Unai was 106th at 8:56. Tomorrow will surely seperate the contenders from the pretenders and also-rans, as each rider will face a 42 km ITT. As usual when it comes to ITTs, I haven`t got too big expectations. But, I do hope and think Mikel and Haimar will ride well, and I`m looking forward to see Igor riding it. Has he improved his TTing? We`ll see...

Amets makes it seven

Amets Txurruka will ride the Tour de France this year. The young climbing prodigy will make his debut in the biggest race on the planet in his first season with Euskaltel, and that means there are now only two places left on the 9-man team. The six others that will ride the Tour are Haimar, Mikel Astarloza, Iñigo Landaluze, Igor Antón, Rubén Pérez and Gorka Verdugo. The two vacant places will go to Iñaki Isasi, Aitor Galdos, Jorge Azanza or Juanjo Oroz. Jorge is now riding the Dauphiné, and will have to prove his worth if he is to be included. The same goes for the three others who will be riding the Tour de Suisse, starting on Sunday. My bet is on Aitor and Iñaki to make it.

Rubén 17th in Dauphiné

Rubén Pérez, who will make his debut in the Tour de France this year, came in 17th on the first regular stage of the Dauphiné Libéré. The stage was tailor-made for the sprinters, so it all came down to a mad dash to the line. Heinrich Haussler of Gerolsteiner took the win, with Rubén coming home 17th. Rubén was very active inside the last kilometres, trying to find the perfect position, and eventually got the wheel of Paco Wrolich. Though, Rubén faded a bit towards the end and gave up. But, still, no bad achievement! The rest of the team finished comfortably inside the pack.

Amets OK

Amets Txurruka, who crashed badly in the first stage of the Euskal Bizikleta and abandoned the next day, has not sustained any serious injuries. Amets hurt his hip badly, and couldn`t get up the stairs in his home the next day. But, luckily, he`s feeling much better already, and will probably train tomorrow. His fall and subsequent "injury" will have no effect on his Tour plans, if he is selected for the team that is.

Matxin: "I want Iban to enjoy himself"

Speaking to DEIA yesterday, Joxean "Matxin" Fernández, sports director at Saunier, had this to say about Iban and the Tour: "We wanted Iban to ride the Tour de Suisse initially, but he would rather go back home to do specific training in the mountains and to lose some weight, so that he could arrive in France in good shape. He will arrive with belief and confidence we think, but he wants to do the Tour without any concrete objectives and without any pressure. We`ll not demand anything of him. Marchante will be the leader, while all I hope of Iban is that he`ll enjoy himself".

Picture perfect

There`s not much to report on Iban these days, as he`s at home resting and training. Iban will compete again at the Spanish Championships. Though, here are some photos you might not have seen before. And, by the way, on the second picture, you can see the now-famous Sopela on the left side holding up Iban. Iban`s fan club at the first pic.