Velochimp: Astrochimp on Cycling

Spanish courts have ruled that all evidence in the Operation Puerto investigation cannot be used to implicate cyclist on doping charges. Looks like the investigation still needs to go through some sort of due process in Spain. All of the evidence is not to be used to implicate riders involved in the investigation.
This turn of events is very shameful for all of those involved in the presecution of this entire affair. Especially for men like Dick Pound who seemed all to eager to implicate all riders involved without even seeing any of the evidence.

For any observer it was very clear that Operation Puerto was a fiasco in the making. From the original list of 200 cyclist that turned to 59 then just 9, the reports were very suspect. The investigation was known more for outlandish and ever changing leaks than actual proof. Whenever hard evidence was actually demanded none came. When each cyclist was brought before their own cycling federation there was simply not enough evidence to prosecute.

Ivan Basso ready to be cleared, just after Santiago Botero was cleared last week. Most of the Astana team was denied entry to the Tour de France, but later cleared meaning that Astana’s exclusion from the Tour was for no good reason. Ivan Basso and possibly Jan Ullrich’s careers were dealt a serious blow just as they were poised to make a run for a Tour title in the post-Lance era. Jan Ullrich seems to be the most damaged from this investigation as he has lost his job at T-Mobile an several personal sponsorships. Yet nothing is fully proven. Ullrich has been implicated more in the court of public opinion than in any actual court.

This type of fiasco is a black eye to any investigation that is cracking down on doping in sport. The inquisition like treatment of cyclist has got to stop. These are athletes who may or may not take performance enhancing drugs. They are not terrorist, and they are not risking anyone’s life other than their own. They are simply being lazy and using a chemical enhancement to make them go faster. It is wrong, and it should be punished. The system used to catch the cheaters needs to be reliable, fair and open. Otherwise the credibility of all investigations and dope tests is suspicious and doping will go on.