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By Kieran Canning/Bicycling

Spanish court on Tuesday sentenced a medical doctor who performed blood transfusions on top cyclists to a year in prison for endangering public health in a case keenly watched because of claims the practice extended to other sports.

Judge Julia Patricia Santamaria said that Eufemiano Fuentes, 57, offered the blood doping treatments for money, posing a “significant risk to the health” of those receiving the blood.

“The extractions and transfusions were not practised in accordance with the sanitary norms but in a clandestine manner,” she added in the long-awaited ruling after the 10-week trial in Madrid. As such, his actions contravened article 361 of the Spanish criminal code, which relates to the endangering of public health, the judge said.

In addition to the one-year jail term, which under Spanish law he does not have to serve immediately if he lodges an appeal, Fuentes was given a fine of around 4,500 euros ($5,880) at the rate of 15 euros a day for 10 months. He was also banned from practicing as a sports doctor for four years.

A former trainer of the Kelme cycling team, Jose Ignacio Labarta, was found guilty and handed a four-month jail term. He was given a four-month professional ban. The three other co-accused in the case—Fuentes’s sister Yolanda, Manolo Saiz and Vicente Belda—were all cleared.

“Operation Puerto has finished and I hope that no one reminds me of it ever again,” said Saiz.

Operation Puerto refers to the police investigation against a wide-ranging blood-doping racket with Fuentes as its head. Police arrested the accused in raids on premises linked to Fuentes in May 2006, leading to the seizure of some 200 bags of tampered blood labeled with a complex system of codes. A virtual pharmacy of performance-enhancing substances, including the banned blood-booster erythropoetin (EPO), human-growth hormone (HGH) and anabolic steroids, was also uncovered. A lawyer representing the International Cycling Union governing body described the operation as “the biggest doping network the world has ever seen.”

All five were charged with endangering public health but not incitement to doping, which was not a crime in Spain at the time of their arrests. Judge Santamaria came under pressure during the trial to provide the names of athletes implicated in the scandal but she refused. On Tuesday she also refused to give the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) or any other national anti-doping authority access to the 211 blood bags seized in the raids. Instead, she ordered the bags to be destroyed, pending an appeal by any of the parties involved.

Santamaria’s ruling stated that Fuentes had at least from 2002 extracted blood from his clients and then at a later point transfused the blood back into their system “with the exclusive intention of artificially elevating the physical performance of the cyclist.” The transfusions were sometimes combined with banned substances such as EPO, HGH, testosterone, insulin and even the fertility drug Human Menopausal Gonadotropin.

The Fuentes case was being watched closely given the drug allegations that have swirled around cycling for years and came to a head last year, when Lance Armstrong was stripped of his record seven Tour de France wins for doping. Witnesses in the case included two-time Tour de France winner Alberto Contador, who served a two-year ban for a doping violation until last year, and Armstrong’s former US Postal Service teammate Tyler Hamilton.

During his trial Fuentes said he worked with clients from other sports including football, tennis, athletics and boxing but he did not name them. Six of the 58 people said to have been clients of Fuentes—including German rider Jan Ullrich—have subsequently been sanctioned. Fuentes insisted his actions did not endanger their health. The Canary Islands doctor also denied EPO doping, saying ampules found in his home were for his daughter’s chemotherapy treatment.

Spain’s state anti-doping agency said it would appeal the ruling.

“All I can say is that I want to continue to work on this. For me, Operation Puerto is not over,” the director of Spain’s State Anti-Doping Agency, Ana Muñoz, told a news conference after the court issued its ruling. “I am going to ask the judge for any evidence of whatever nature, including the bags, so that these acts which she herself considers to be infractions can be judged by the competent authorities,” she added.

Under Spanish law, Fuentes will not have to go to jail for a sentence of less than two years since he has no previous convictions.

Western Cape

Tribakery, Tokai Bike racks and best eggs Benedict in the world!!! - Stuart Henshilwood

The Handle Bar, 100 Main Rd, Sea Point, Cape Town. Trendy interior, relaxed atmosphere, great coffee and friendly service (pictured above) - Chanèl Rossouw

Welvanpas at Bains MTB Trails and Twist in Wellington. – Waldo Kellerman

Dulce’s at Waterstone Village in Somerset West – great coffee / chocolate milkshakes and bike racks provided. Plus discounts to local Wannabee Club members - Sue Kirk

Tallas, Gordons Bay. Seating outside and space next door for bikes. – Daniel Nel

Department of Coffee, Khayelitsha Trendy, locally owned coffee shop opposite the Khayelitsha train station. Join in for Coffeemob – catch a train to Khayelitsha open day. For R77, cyclists get their train ticket, an escorted cycle tour, a cappuccino & muffin! Book here.

Juno in Paarl as well as Fairview just outside Paarl. The latter obviously not strictly a coffee shop, but riders always welcome! - Christo Bekker

Vredendal Wimpy. Even got bike-racks outside. - Deon Visser

Timeless in Beach road, Strand – Leon Liebenette Burger

Deluxe Coffeeworks, Roodehek Str, Lower Gardens. They even have indoor bike racks. – Robert Vogel

Driftwood Cafe, Parklands Our club meets there after our ride every Saturday. They have cheap bottomless coffee for all cyclists. Great vibe. - Brett

Lah di dah, Prince Albert – Yvette Breedt

Hazz Coffee, Stellenbosch - Chantelle Galloway

Gauteng

“Bon Dia” in Sunward Park, Boksburg …..always rider friendly….. - Stan Wilson

The Circus Tent JHB South - Patrick Walker

Europa on Gordon avenue, Roodepoort side – 10% off of breakfast if you rock up on your bike - Juri De Rooster

Mugg n Bean Parkhurst Johannesburg, they even have a bike rack! - Mia Wall

Ed’s Diner Parkview, our club rides from there every Thursday night and normally have a few beers and a burger afterwards. - Shawn Van Der Merwe

11 45 bottom of Conrad Drive JHB, can even order a “spruit” coffee and portion goes towards maintaining the spruit! – Joy Van Winsen

Slice Artisinal at Bankenveld Witbank, great lemon water after ride, coffee and other tasty goodies! - Atholl Fleming

Toadbury Hall along the Cradle route from Broadacres. - Monde Sussmann

KwaZulu-Natal

Jaxx’s at Hilton Quarry Shopping Centre – they have bike racks outside, seating outside, friendly wait people and great coffee and food. – Hilton Bed n Breakfast

Oscars Hillcrest, opens by 7am and waitrons come to the table with a jug of water and enough glasses for everyone often without being asked, also have an agreement with bike shop in centre, for bikewash/cappuccino combo price! - Rose Bulman-Owen

The Shongweni Farmers Market on Saturdays has bike racks available. - Daryl Van Sittert

Clearwater MTB Cafe & Trails provides sweet singletrack, Powasol bikewash and brews locally grown Beaver Creek coffee

Jooma Coffee awesome little coffee shop in Kloof, Durban area…White Mocha’s are amazing..easy access right on amashova route. - Gary Doyle

Eastern Cape

Cappellini’s in Sunridge Park, Port Elizabeth. Our group called “The Pinkies” that ride together go there so often we should have shares by now….lol. Great service! - Megan Gill

Swaziland

Ngwenya Glass Coffee Shop, Swaziland, Awesome trails in the area! - Gary Hayter

Regarded as many as the world’s greatest cyclist, Eddy Merckx snuck quietly into Cape Town to ride his fifth Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour this year. Despite wanting to stay out of the limelight, the 68-year-old Belgian was still up for an interview.

Listen to the full interview via the podcast below or read it on page 55 of the May/June 2013 issue

Cycling SA reports that Pieter Seyffert returned an adverse analytical finding in an in-competition test conducted by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) on 17 February 2013.

Team Bonitas rider, Pieter Seyffert, claimed the biggest win of his professional career when he outsprinted a small breakaway group to win the 25th Dischem Ride for Sight 116km road race in Boksburg which took place on Sunday 17 February.

The analytical report confirmed the presence of the stimulant, Phentermine in his urine sample. Seyffert is therefore provisionally suspended with immediate effect from competing in any event. The SAIDS process will now take its course.

According to Wikipedia, Phentermine is a psychostimulant drug of the phenethylamine class, with pharmacology similar to amphetamine. It is used medically as an appetite suppressant.

Cycling South Africa respects the independence of the SAIDS process and will respect the outcome. Cycling SA further reiterates its zero-tolerance approach to doping in sport and will continue working with SAIDS in the promotion of a drug-free sport via its awareness programmes and extensive testing.

Slovakian cyclist Peter Sagan has been heavily criticised for pinching the bottom of a podium girl after Tour de Flanders. Standing on the podium alongside winner, Fabian Cancellara, who is flanked by two podium girls, Sagan can be spotted pinching the bottom of one of the podium girls who is leaning in for the customary peck on the winner’s cheek, causing a social media outrage. Some say it demonstrates a disrespect to women, others say he was stealing Cancellara’s big moment, while some say it was just some harmless fun. Bicycling contributor, Joe Lindsey weighs in.

– By Joe Lindsey

I wish that Peter Sagan’s now-infamous grope of a podium girl wasn’t such a big topic. But side stories often are big ones so I’ll give it a brief comment.

Much of the debate focused on whether Sagan was just an immature idiot who committed a crude but ultimately harmless act; or a lout who, in a conscious moment, committed an act of sexual assault that furthers archaic sexist attitudes toward women.

I don’t think either approach fully characterises the situation. In my (limited) interactions with Sagan and observations of him, I don’t see any kind of meanness to him. His victory celebrations are typically an act of genuine joy. He’s that way in other moments as well.

At the 2012 Tour of California, I watched him ride the final few hundred metres of the time trial stage waving to fans. He’d just lost the race leader’s jersey, but rather than brood or even try to limit the damage by charging to the line, he seemed more preoccupied with showing his appreciation for the cheers he’d got all week.

And VeloNews’s Matt Beaudin wrote recently of riding with Sagan at the Cannondale team’s January public team launch in L.A., portraying a similar personality. Beaudin describes a playful, natural Sagan launching dirt berms and riding one of his well-known one-handed wheelies for the enjoyment of the varied L.A. cyclists who joined the group ride.

At the same time, Sagan’s grope was and should be recognised as an unwanted sexual advance for which there is no excuse. Never mind the armchair psychology you’ll find of podium ceremonies and the role of podium girls. As Anna Zimmerman pointed out in this astute post, podium hostesses’ attire wouldn’t look out of place at any genteel Southern cocktail party.

Sexual harassment isn’t (and shouldn’t be) a part of the job description for podium girls any more than it is for any other job; and the fact that the woman in question didn’t immediately knock Sagan on his ass says more about the fact that she was far more professional in that moment than Sagan was than the ugly and unfounded insinuation I saw posted on Twitter and in a few comments that she enjoyed it because some people think she’s smiling in the picture.

Sagan did a stupid thing; it was caught on camera and he is being, and should be, criticised for it. By my entirely unscientific gauge, it appears Sagan’s stupid act cost him far more fans than it won him, and rightly so. I would hope that the team has had a long talk with him about why what he did was wrong (if I’m Cannondale Bicycles General Manager Bob Burbank, I’d make that call myself).

Sagan apologised on Twitter, although he should remember in the future that apologies should simply stop after “I’m sorry.” So if he ever does it again, he should be fired. Talent is no excuse for a lack of class and professionalism. But I think people are holding Sagan accountable and that’s where, for now, it should end. To make more of it than that is a disservice to Cancellara, the man our attention should have been focused on Sunday.

Bicycling’s Editor-at-large Neil Gardiner will be guiding the the 62-year old founder of the Virgin Group, Richard Branson around the 109km Cycle Tour route on Sunday and joining them will be Melinda Bam and Adriaan Bergh (Miss and Mr SA 2011) as well as ex rugby player Tank Lanning and 5fm DJs, Milkshake and Fikile ‘Fix’ Moeti. Not only is Fix doing the Cycle Tour but competed in the half Ironman 70.3 earlier this year and, like Branson, is passionate about providing opportunities for aspiring social entrepreneurs.

“It is going to be my first Cycle Tour,” says Fix, “ but I am looking forward to taking it fairly easy, enjoying the scenery of the Cape and, of course, riding with someone who I have always admired for his incredible leadership programmes. I was fortunate to meet him last week and feel very privileged to be part of Sir Richard Branson’s A-team.”

Branson says, I’m looking forward to hearing the roar of the crowd and really giving them something to cheer about. While it is my first time taking part in the Cycle Tour, I have experienced the London Marathon and Triathlon, where the crowds really drag you around the course with their support.”

It’s been a whirlwind week for the founder of the Virgin Group. Branson attended his son’s wedding at Ulusaba, addressed entrepreneurs at The Branson Centre in Braamfontein and took a tour of the building site of Virgin Active’s newest Classic Club, Alice Lane, which is set to open in August this year. He’s also managed to keep up a steady training schedule.

Blind adventurer and motivational speaker Hein Wagner and his riding partner Alwyn de Kock will take on the Cape Argus Pick ‘n Pay Cycle Tour this coming Sunday in the blind category.

Says Wagner, who has been completely blind from birth:

Wagner has taken on many daring adventures including the Absa Cape Epic, sailing from Cape Town to Rio and running marathons. He also holds the World Land Speed record for a blind driver. “I’ve completed the Cape Argus Cycle Tour twice before and wasn’t planning on doing it again this year. I was going to do the Antarctica Marathon on Thursday (7 March), but the trip was cancelled due to the ship hitting an iceberg. When Alwyn, who had an entry, heard that I’ll be in Cape Town, he invited me to cycle the Argus with him. I immediately made contact with the Cape Town Cycle Tour Trust and the Race office manager Tish Lambert granted me a special substitution for Sunday’s race. Tish concluded that in all her years as race office manager she has never heard such an interesting reason for not entering on time. It’s all very exciting and I look forward to the race!”

Then check us out as the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycle Tour Expo. Your favourite magazine… just more! ]]> http://www.bicycling.co.za/news-people/news-news-people/sas-leading-cycling-magazine-is-unveiling-its-new-look/feed/ 0 http://www.bicycling.co.za/news-people/local-news-news-people/test-results-suspicious-for-epo-doping/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=test-results-suspicious-for-epo-doping http://www.bicycling.co.za/news-people/local-news-news-people/test-results-suspicious-for-epo-doping/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 10:52:53 +0000 Bicycling http://www.bicycling.co.za/?p=272678883714155 Posted in Local News

The results of the retroactive EPO (Erythropoietin) testing of 50 cyclists from events in 2012 indicate that there continues to be doping activity in South African cycling, with the doping control samples of some cyclists being classified as ‘suspicious’ but not conclusive to elicit doping charges.

This is according to Institute for Drug-free Sport (SAIDS) CEO Khalid Galant, who says that the tests, which were done using samples taken from athletes who competed in major mountain and road races in 2012 and stored in the WADA accredited laboratory in Bloemfontein, were sent to the SAIDS peer lab in Austria for confirmation analyses. The confirmation analyses were inconclusive.

The doping control samples analysed were from the MTN Series #7, 23 September; Crater Cruise, 13 October 2012; Amashovashova, 14 October 2012; Momentum 94,7 Race, 18 November 2012; National Track Champs, 25 November 2012; MTN Qhubekha Track Competition, 01 December 2012; and the Die Burger Cycle Race, 04 December 2012.

“In light of these results we will be changing up our strategy so that cyclists are aware that we are very serious about cleaning up sport,” he says. “Our aggressive testing strategy will hopefully serve as a deterrent to those that have been engaging in doping practices and to those who believe they can still beat the doping control system.”

He continues: “More cyclists will be included in the Athlete Biological Passport programme that involves the monitoring and interpretation of selected biological parameters over time that may reveal the effects of doping, rather than attempting to detect the doping substance itself.”

He says that the window for detecting EPO is very small (4 to 6 hours). “The lesson learnt from the Armstrong affair is that cyclists who micro-dose with EPO are often able to beat the anti-doping authorities,” he adds. “It is however much more difficult to beat the system when blood samples are analysed over a series of tests.”

Galant says that until recently the cyclists drug of choice was steroids, which add strength and reduce recovery time. “However, blood boosting EPO has become popular with elite cyclists around the world as it has been said to add between 5% and 20% to endurance levels by enabling the body to produce more oxygen carrying red blood cells,” he explains.

“For an elite athlete, this can mean the difference between first place and middle of the pack. This is why it is imperative that we nip EPO doping in the bud in SA by closing the gap on the dopers to ensure a dope-free, level playing field where riding skills and fitness ensure a win rather than the amount of drugs you pump into your system.”

Galant points out that the intent of the SAIDS anti-doping testing strategy is not only to catch athletes, but for it to serve as a deterrent to cyclists who are considering doping.

“We won’t let up on our testing strategy,” he says. “As we have learnt from the David George and Lance Armstrong scandals, we have to constantly innovate our testing strategy to combat doping and doping trends like the relatively recent shift to blood and increasing its oxygen-carrying capacity.”

“We need to clean up cycling and we will continue to be vigorous in our testing in cycling and other endurance sports like triathlon, running and canoeing,” he adds.

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