Petacchi among four riders suspended by UCI for alleged doping
A les san dr oP et ac chi, one of cycling’s most successful sprinters, is among four riders to be provisionally suspended by the sport’s governing body, the UCI, for alleged involve - ment in an Austrian-german doping ring.
The 45-year-old Italian, who retired in 2015 after winning 48 Grand Tour stages during his 19-year career, has denied any wrongdoing but has been notified of his suspension by the UCI for the “use of a prohibited method” in 2012 and 2013. The three other riders to be suspended yesterday for the same offence are Slovenian duo Borut Bozic and Kristijan Koren and Croatia’s Kristijan Durasek.
B ozic retired last year but now works for Bahrain-merida, his last team as a rider. Koren has been riding for the same team at this month’s Giro d’italia but has now been withdrawn from the race.
Durasek has been riding in this week’s Tour of California for UAE Team Emirates but he, too, has been sent home.
Operation Aderlass, as the joint Austrian and German investigation is known, started during the Nordic World Ski Championships in February when several premises were raided in the two countries, arrests were made and blood bags seized. Among those arrested were five crosscountr y skiers and Dr Mark Schmidt, the man alleged to be at the centre of what the police described as an “internationally active doping network”.
Dr Schmidt, who is understood to be co operating with the authorities, has previously worked with the Gerolsteiner and Milram cycling teams.
Pet ac chi’ s name was first linked to Operation Ad erlass in the French and Italian media on Tuesday. This followed Sunday’ s confession by former team-mate Dani - lo Hondo that he had been a customer of Dr Schmidt’ s in 2012 and 2013.
While Pet ac chi continues to deny blood doping, yesterday’s news brings the number of riders suspended by the UCI for alleged links to Dr Schmidt to six, as Austrian pair Stefan Den if land Ge or gP re idler were suspended in March, and that does not include former German champion Hondo.
The authorities have said there are 21 athletes under investigation in Operation Aderlass. Reports in France and Italy have suggested that ten are cyclists, although none of the riders yet to be named are still active.