It’s no secret that the 1990s and 2000s gave pride of place to doping in the cycling pelotons. However, it took a few years for the languages to loosen. The dopers of yesteryear take their places at the table in turn and, this time, it is Rudy Pevenage, the former sporting director of Telekom, who went there not from a pavement in the pond, but undoubtedly more of a rock in a puddle.
For eleven years, between 1995 and 2006, the Belgian, now 65 years old, has spawned with all that is darkest in the world of bicycles. Doctors José Luis Merino and Eufemiano Fuentes are bound to stand out. The former sports director admitted all of this in a book released on Wednesday and he splashes the world of cycling, but also footballers who played in Madrid, athletes and … a great Spanish tennis player.
“I am no longer afraid of reactions or remarks. I tell a lot, a lot in this biography, “he said, on the Belgian site 7sur7.be, before assuming his cheating:” At the time, it was very difficult to win something without doping . “In his book” Der Rudy “, he explains how to deceive the controllers and the police forces, as well as the few times that his foal Jan Ullrich, winner of the 1997 Tour de France, at just 23 years old, fell between the meshes nets.
“Ali Baba”
His trainer at the time explains in particular how his protege narrowly escaped a doping scandal at the Giro 2001 – it was Marco Pantani who had been taken by the patrol that year -, that he was using cans of Coca double walled to successfully carry around its products or how milk cartons sealed with scotch made it possible to walk with bags of blood to transfuse to the riders of his team…
“Before the start of the Tour 2004 in Liège, I reserved a room at Kelmis,” admitted Pevenage in this collection. I requested an additional refrigerator and it was placed in my room. Immediately that day, I was visited by former mountain biker Alberto León, whom we called ‘Ali Baba’. The next evening, doctors José Luis Merino and Eufemiano Fuentes joined us. A list has been established with the runners that Ali Baba had to visit as a carrier. He did it on my ATV and the packages were in his backpack. ‘Ali Baba’ was a perfect looking tourist. The blood bags were carefully packed in empty milk cartons and sealed with a code. ”
Created: 23.01.2020, 11h46
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