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Did Ullrich Meet Fuentes on a Giro Rest Day?

By Jessica | Permalink | No Comments | November 15th, 2006 | Trackback

Even though the charges against the cyclists initially implicated in Operacion Puerto have been dropped by Spanish authorities, a cloud of doubt still hangs over everyone whose name cropped up in the investigation. German anti-doping crusader Dr. Werner Franke has added to the cloud hanging over Jan Ullrich by alleging that Ullrich actually flew to Madrid on a rest day in the 2006 Giro in order to meet with Dr. Fuentes, the doctor at the heart of the scandal. Fuentes is still under investigation.
From CyclingNews:

Franke has sent an affidavit to the German prosecuters’ office in Hamburg, who has forwarded it to its counterpart in Bonn, which is in turn investigating Ullrich for fraud. In his filing, Franke says that he and his attorney met in Madrid on Sept. 29 with Enrique Gomez Bastida, Operation Puerto chief investigator. Gomez allegedly told Franke that Ullrich had been Fuentes’ client since at least 2003, paying 120,000 Euros annually.

The affidavit further claims that the Guardia Civil discussed the “branch offices” of the doping networks. Franke wrote that Gomez described how the various “offices” kept in touch using a system of telephone cards “and also noted four telephone numbers used by Herr Jan Ullrich, including a landline number.”

These “branch offices” were in Frankfurt, Germany, Orleans, France, and an unnamed city in northern Italy, presumably Treviso. In general, Franke’s affidavit said, “at each location or hotel had a — small — group of cyclists associated with it.” However, certain — especially prominent — cyclists were handled by Dr. Fuentes directly in Spain, normally in Madrid.”

Ullrich’s manager Wolfgang Strohband pooh-poohed the charges, saying, “There is so much fantasy involved here that we won’t comment any more. There is so much speculation, we don’t have anything more to say.”

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