Last weekend, the French newspaper Le Journal du Dimanche announced that a house search had taken place last Wednesday in the hotel where the Arkéa-Samsic cycling team was staying.
In the French sports newspaper L’Equipe, the news was confirmed by team manager Emmanuel Hubert, but he did not wish to provide any further explanation.
L’Equipe stated that not the team, but leader Nairo Quintana was targeted.
The rooms of his Colombian compatriots and teammates Dayer Quintana (the brother of Nairo) and Winner Anacona would also have received a visit from the investigators.
Today AFP news agency is taking it a step further and claims that “a preliminary investigation has been opened into suspected doping use, targeting a team from the Tour de France”.
According to AFP, the investigation has been opened by the health services of the Marseille prosecutor’s office.
According to the attorney, AFP cites “numerous health products such as drugs have been found, as well as a method that can be qualified as doping-related”.
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The public prosecutor of Marseille confirms around 7.30 pm that the Arkéa-Samsic cycling team is the subject of the investigation.
“An investigation is underway into suspicions of doping use by some of the Arkéa-Samsic riders”, it sounds.
Two arrests would also have happened. According to AFP, Dayer Quintana and some members of the team’s medical staff are suspected.
Arkéa-Samsic’s eight in the Tour consisted of Nairo Quintana (Col), Winner Anacona (Col), Warren Barguil (Fra), Kévin Ledanois (Fra), Dayer Quintana (Col), Diego Rosa (Ita), Clément Russo ( Fra) and Connor Swift (GBr).
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The Tour was a major setback for Nairo Quintana. The 30-year-old Colombian made the switch from Movistar to Arkéa-Samsic last winter and did not miss his entry into the pro-continental formation.
Quintana started the season like a rocket with overall wins in the Tour of Provence and the Tour of the Alpes Maritimes. Paris-Nice, just before the lockdown, he finished in 6th place.
In the Tour it turned square at Quintana. Just like Egan Bernal, he fell through the ice on the Grand Colombier and finished 17th in the general classification at 1h03’07 “behind winner Tadej Pogacar.
The French procontinental team has two Belgians in the ranks with Benjamin Declercq and Christophe Noppe, but they were not there in the Tour.
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Back to stage 15: Wout van Aert drives Nairo Quintana and Egan Bernal into destruction
