The Bahrain-Victorious cycling team is still in the sights. Target last year during the Tour de France of a searchshe said in a press release, on the evening of Monday June 27, that the homes of several runners and members of her management had been searched a few days before the start of the 2022 edition.
Investigation “which started almost a year ago and did not yield any results, continues just before the start of the most important cycling race and damages the reputation of the people and the team”, lamented the formation. In her statement, she claims to cooperate “constructively in all procedures and with all competent institutions” and specifies that it has not, to date, been informed of the progress or the results of the investigations carried out by the Marseille public prosecutor’s office, responsible for this file.
The team adds that they have “repeatedly requested access to the file or knowledge of the status of the investigation, but without success”.
traces of tizanidine
Following the search carried out in Pau during the last week of the Tour de France 2021, leaks had revealed last October that traces of tizanidine, a muscle relaxant used against multiple sclerosis – but not prohibited by anti-doping regulations – , had been found in the hair analyzes of several runners. The Bahraini team then denied having been informed and the laboratory had not confirmed the identities of the athletes involved.
The Slovenian Matej Mohoric, the Belgian Dylan Teuns, the Briton Fred Wright and the Australian Jack Haig – who had abandoned well before Pau last year – are the only riders already present during the previous edition and who will be at the start of Copenhagen, 1is July. The group was completed by another Slovenian, Jan Tratnik, the Italian Damiano Caruso, 2e of the Giro 2021, the Spanish veteran Luis Leon Sanchez (38 years old) and the Pole Kamil Gradek.
The team, including one of the leaders, the Italian Sonny Colbrelli, suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest in Marche, is led by Milan Erzen, as general manager. The Slovenian was suspected, in 2020, in the context of the Aderlass blood doping case. He called the charges “completely false”.