Tour de FranceDylan Teuns (30) has received investigators at his home in Halen. On Thursday morning at half past five, one day before the start of the Tour, the Danish police also entered the team’s hotel in Glostrup. Questions at Team Bahrain Victorious are growing. No one wanted to answer them on Thursday. This morning the management of Dylan Teuns has already responded with an official announcement.
–
The integral statement from the management of Dylan Teuns:
“Following the various reports in the media, we would like to note the following:
–
1. At the start of the Tour, the legally sacred principle of the secrecy of the judicial inquiry is apparently sacrificed on the altar of French sensationalism: it is curious that the Public Prosecutor’s Office of Marseille releases names and places of searches during a press moment on Thursday night. Both the team and Dylan Teuns have always cooperated fully and otherwise kept silent in the interest of the investigation.
–
2. Contrary to the claims and innuendo in certain media, nothing was seized after the house search in Denmark at Dylan Teuns.
–
3. Dylan and we will continue to cooperate, given the innocence of our rider, but hope for more discretion. The current damage operation threatens to jeopardize ongoing contract negotiations and cause irreparable damage.”
–
–
–
The public prosecutor of Marseille issued an official announcement on Thursday evening that several house searches have been carried out in the context of the investigation into Bahrain Victorious, the team of Milan-Sanremo winner Matej Mohoric and our compatriot Dylan Teuns. Searches were conducted between June 27 and 30 in Italy, Spain, Belgium, Poland, Slovenia, Croatia and Denmark. “More detail in the house of the manager (Milan Erzen), three riders, an osteopath and a team doctor. Electronic equipment (telephones, computers, hard drives) and medicines were seized.”
–
Teuns is one of the riders who received a visit from the detectives at home. A search was also carried out at Damiano Caruso’s home, in Sicily, he confirms to Cyclingnews.
–
–
On Thursday morning, one day before the start of the Tour, Danish agents examined team cars on behalf of the public prosecutor of Marseille. All eight riders and staff members were questioned. Team Bahrain issued a press release saying that the raid lasted two hours and that nothing was seized.
–
Team Bahrain claims to know nothing about it hand on heart. Riders are banned from speaking. Questions in the planned press conference on Thursday could only be about the course. But no one asked questions about the Tour and no one answered the raid. And so it became one of the shortest press conferences ever. Even Matej Mohoric, in all other circumstances a waterfall of speech, kept silent.
–
Last year, the team was still a bit off. Mohoric said in Pau that they had nothing to hide. In fact, that he was happy with the raid, so that the French police could also make sure that they have nothing to hide. It remained quieter after the raid with riders on Monday. When asked, Dylan Teuns said on his trip to Denmark: “Sorry, I am not allowed to say anything”. Today, the police reported themselves again. So that one may gradually begin to think that where there is smoke, there is fire. Or the investigating judge in Marseille will soon have to declare the investigation closed.
–
–
Three different police units have meanwhile become involved in the matter. Last year in Pau it was OCLAEPS, a police unit established in 2004 that deals with drugs and doping issues. That was no coincidence after the relentless series of doping scandals that plagued the Tour de France at the time. About 50 OCLAEPS agents raided Bahrain’s hotel in Pau last year. Monday it was Europol and now the Danish police.
–
That proves that the police take things seriously, whatever they are. Sportingly, the team scores less high this year than last year. Matej Mohoric won Milan-Sanremo, but the story was then mainly about the saddle with which Mohoric tore down the Poggio. Also this year Dylan Teuns won the Walloon Arrow.
–
–
Teuns was last year’s winner of the Tour stage with arrival in Le Grand-Bornand. In the same Tour, Mohoric won two stages and Sonny Colbrelli, a sprinter, climbed up with the best riders. Colbrelli would become European champion last year. At home in Italy, he is now recovering from heart failure in Paris-Nice. Last year there was also the striking Dauphiné of Ukrainian Mark Padun, who won two stages out of nowhere. Padun now rides for Jonathan Vaughters’ EF team. There was Damiano Caruso’s second place in the Giro. And there is the alleged connection of team boss Milan Erzen with doctor Mark Schmidt, who was convicted in the Austrian doping case Operation Aderlass.
–
“We sleep like babies and we work like horses,” performance director Vladimir Miholjevic said after Monday’s searches. Yesterday Miholjevic had nothing to add to the search. “We are one hundred percent transparent.”
–
Europol: “Last year 63 million euros in counterfeit medicines and doping withdrawn from circulation”
In a Europol press release, all the authorities involved are mentioned by name. The Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Federal Police cooperated with the search in Belgium. Europol considers that the investigation is aimed at the illegal production and distribution of doping. “Criminal organizations benefit from this. The proceeds and distribution of doping production often go to other criminal activities,” Interpol said.
–
“Doping not only corrupts sports competitions, they also endanger the health of athletes. Doping products are often produced in illegal labs where hygienic conditions are loosely applied. Doping exists across all sports. The Interpol-coordinated SHIELD II operation led to 544 arrests in 26 countries and the discovery of €63 million worth of counterfeit medicines and illegal doping products between April and December last year.”
–
–
–
Are you a cycling enthusiast? Then play along with the Golden Tour and have a chance to win 5,000 euros!
–
