Operación Puerto doping case
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Operación Puerto (''Operation Mountain Pass'') is the code name of a still unfinished Spanish Police operation against the pro sports doping network of Doctor
Eufemiano Fuentes Eufemiano Fuentes (born 1955) is a Spanish sports doctor who was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case. Biography Fuentes was once an athlete. He then became the team doctor of Team ONCE, Amaya and Kelme. The former Kelme rider Jes ...
. It started in May 2006, which resulted in a
scandal A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
that involved several of the world's most famous cyclists and teams at the time. Media attention has focused on the small number of professional road cyclists named; however, sportspeople from other disciplines including football and
tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
have also been connected with the scandal, though not officially indicted.Fuentes: "Me indigna la filtración selectiva"
'' El País'', 5 July 2006
And among total number of athletes, fifteen had been acquitted by May 2007, while three had admitted doping or evidence of blood doping was found.


Timeline


Revelations by Jesús Manzano

In March 2004 in an interview with the Spanish newspaper ''
Diario AS ''Diario AS'' () is a Spanish daily sports newspaper that concentrates particularly on football. Profile ''Diario AS'' is part of PRISA which also owns '' El País'' and ''Cinco Días''. The paper particularly covers news of the Community of M ...
'',
Jesús Manzano Jesús María Manzano Ruano (San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 12 May 1978) is a former Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He is famous as the whistleblower of systematic doping within his cycling team and his statements led the Guardia Civil t ...
exposed systematic doping in his former cycling team, Kelme. He detailed
blood doping Blood doping is a form of doping in which the number of red blood cells in the bloodstream is boosted in order to enhance athletic performance. Because such blood cells carry oxygen from the lungs to the muscles, a higher concentration in the blo ...
as well as the performance-enhancing drugs he used while on the team. The investigation and the allegations he made led to questioning of several members of the team in April 2004. These included
Eufemiano Fuentes Eufemiano Fuentes (born 1955) is a Spanish sports doctor who was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case. Biography Fuentes was once an athlete. He then became the team doctor of Team ONCE, Amaya and Kelme. The former Kelme rider Jes ...
who was the Kelme team doctor, Walter Virú the doctor before Fuentes, and Alfredo Córdova who was working for but involved with Kelme in 2003. An investigation began into the practices of Fuentes in early 2006 by the anti-drug trafficking arm of the Spanish
Guardia Civil The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the au ...
.


Police action

On 23 May 2006,
Guardia Civil The Civil Guard ( es, Guardia Civil, link=no; ) is the oldest law enforcement agency in Spain and is one of two national police forces. As a national gendarmerie force, it is military in nature and is responsible for civil policing under the au ...
arrested the
directeur sportif A ''directeur sportif'' (French for sporting director, although the original French term is often used in English-language media; plural ''directeurs sportifs'') is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is se ...
of the team,
Manolo Saiz Manuel "Manolo" Saiz Balbás (born 16 October 1959 in Torrelavega, Cantabria) is the former team manager of one of the most successful Spanish professional road bicycle racing teams, first called Team ONCE, then Liberty Seguros-Würth, Astana ...
, and four others including Fuentes, accused of doping practices with riders. Spanish police raided residences. In one, belonging to Fuentes, they found a thousand doses of anabolic steroids, 100 packets of blood products, and machines to manipulate and transfuse them. The Guardia Civil found a list naming other cyclists involved.
Liberty Seguros Liberty Seguros is an international subsidiary of Liberty Mutual Group, a Boston-based insurance company. Sponsorships Liberty Seguros sponsored the UCI ProTour cycling team, Liberty Seguros – Würth, but dropped the sponsorship on 25 May 20 ...
withdrew their sponsorship, which left
Würth The Würth Group (german: Würth-Gruppe, ) is a worldwide wholesaler of fasteners, screws and screw accessories, dowels, chemicals, electronic and electromechanical components, furniture and construction fittings, tools, machines, installation ma ...
as sole sponsor.


Suspensions

As more names leaked to the press, asked riders to sign a statement that they had never worked with Fuentes, while the team suspended
Santiago Botero Santiago Botero Echeverry (born October 27, 1972) is a Colombian former professional road bicycle racer. He was a pro from 1996 to 2010, during which time he raced in three editions of the Tour de France and four editions of the Vuelta a Españ ...
and
José Enrique Gutiérrez José Enrique Gutiérrez Cataluña (born 18 June 1974) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. His career highlights include second place overall at the 2006 Giro d'Italia, winning a stage of the Vuelta a España and two stages at ...
, who had finished second in the 2006 Giro d'Italia.
Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
organisers ASO considered withdrawing invitations to and
Comunidad Valenciana The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous comm ...
. On 1 June, the director of Valenciana,
José Ignacio Labarta José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...
, resigned. Würth found a new sponsor, five Kazakh companies united under the name of the capital,
Astana Astana, previously known as Akmolinsk, Tselinograd, Akmola, and most recently Nur-Sultan, is the capital city of Kazakhstan. The city lies on the banks of the Ishim River in the north-central part of Kazakhstan, within the Akmola Region, tho ...
, and became Astana-Würth. ASO withdrew Comunitat Valenciana's invitation, moving riders to send blood samples to be analysed to prove their innocence. The
Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...
considered expelling the team. After '' El País'' published details of ''Operación Puerto'', Spanish riders boycotted the
Spanish National Road Race Championships The Spanish National Road Race Championships are held annually to decide the Spanish cycling champions in the road race discipline, across various categories. The event was first held in 1897 and was won by a Portuguese rider, José Bento Pesso ...
, which was cancelled after 500 metres. ASO wrote asking Astana-Würth not to take part in the Tour de France, which the team ignored.
Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich (; born 2 December 1973) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. Ullrich won gold and silver medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Sydney. He won the 1999 Vuelta a España and the HEW Cyclassics in fro ...
, linked to Fuentes by the newspaper, threatened to sue ''El País''. The
Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its c ...
(CAS) said Astana-Würth were to be accepted in the Tour. The Spanish authorities lifted the secret of summary two days before the start of the 2006 Tour, formally involving all 56 riders found in Fuentes' lists. Because Ullrich and Óscar Sevilla were in the lists, T-Mobile suspended them.Jeff Jones
Ullrich, Sevilla and Pevenage suspended, The list gets longer
''CyclingNews'', 30 June 2006
The example was followed by Ivan Basso's Team CSC and
Francisco Mancebo Francisco Mancebo Pérez (born 9 March 1976) is a Spanish professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He initially rode for team , but moved to in 2006. Mancebo is a stage race specialist, with good climbing and indiv ...
's AG2R Prévoyance. ASO demanded all riders involved be withdrawn by their teams, even though Astana-Würth had received the support of the CAS. The day before the Tour, Astana-Würth yielded to pressure. Five of their riders had been excluded by ASO for involvement in the scandal, leaving only four of the six riders required.
Francisco Mancebo Francisco Mancebo Pérez (born 9 March 1976) is a Spanish professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He initially rode for team , but moved to in 2006. Mancebo is a stage race specialist, with good climbing and indiv ...
, fourth the previous year and involved in the case, ended his career, according to his directeur sportif
Vincent Lavenu Vincent Lavenu (born 12 January 1956) is a French former professional road bicycle racer and is currently the general manager of UCI WorldTeam . Professional career Born in Briançon, Hautes-Alpes, Lavenu had been competing as an amateur in Fran ...
. As a result, none of the riders who finished in the top 5 of the 2005 Tour de France started in the 2006 edition. On 3 July, Würth also withdrew sponsorship of the team. They had planned sponsorship only if it were not excluded from a race. Six days later, T-Mobile fired
Rudy Pevenage Rudy Pévenage (15 June 1954) is a former Belgian cyclist, and later in his career team coach of cycling teams such as , , , and . Pévenage was a professional cyclist from 1976 until 1988. His largest success was in the 1980 Tour de France: h ...
, directeur sportif, because he was also involved. On 21 July, the team suspended Ullrich and Sevilla, effectively sacking them. On the same day, Spanish cycling newspaper '' Meta2Mil'' listed codenames used by Fuentes which had not been deciphered by police.


Additional leaks

In November 2006, '' El Mundo'' claimed that an anti-doping laboratory in
Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within ci ...
which analyzed 99 bags of
blood plasma Blood plasma is a light amber-colored liquid component of blood in which blood cells are absent, but contains proteins and other constituents of whole blood in suspension. It makes up about 55% of the body's total blood volume. It is the intr ...
seized in ''Operación Puerto'' found "high levels of erythropoietin (EPO)". This suggested athletes working with Fuentes had been boosting their performance in ways other than blood doping. ''El Mundo'' suggested those implicated had delegated their cheating to Fuentes, and would not have been able to control the level of EPO they were taking. After studying the Barcelona lab's report, ''El Mundo'' described Fuentes's program as: riders would visit Fuentes a few weeks before a race and have blood removed. Fuentes would run the blood through a
centrifuge A centrifuge is a device that uses centrifugal force to separate various components of a fluid. This is achieved by spinning the fluid at high speed within a container, thereby separating fluids of different densities (e.g. cream from milk) or ...
, separating the
blood plasma Blood plasma is a light amber-colored liquid component of blood in which blood cells are absent, but contains proteins and other constituents of whole blood in suspension. It makes up about 55% of the body's total blood volume. It is the intr ...
from the red blood cells. The cells would be re-injected shortly before competition, boosting resistance to fatigue. If
haematocrit The hematocrit () (Ht or HCT), also known by several other names, is the volume percentage (vol%) of red blood cells (RBCs) in blood, measured as part of a blood test. The measurement depends on the number and size of red blood cells. It is nor ...
levels (volume of red blood cells) got dangerously high, they would re-inject plasma as well, enhanced with EPO, to dilute the red blood cells and avoid detection. The Barcelona lab did not identify any athlete responsible for any of the 99 tested bags of blood.


Legal repercussions

On 26 July 2006, five Astana riders were cleared by Spanish courts. The five -
Joseba Beloki Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (born 12 August 1973) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. Tour successes Beloki turned professional in 1998 with , joined in 2000, and then in 2001. A strong climber in the high mountains and a top p ...
,
Isidro Nozal Isidro Nozal Vega (born 18 October 1977) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. Nozal was runner-up in the 2003 Vuelta a España and an instrumental domestique in Roberto Heras' 2004 Vuelta a España win. Doping In 2005, Vega was ...
,
Sérgio Paulinho Sérgio Miguel Moreira Paulinho, ComIH (born 26 March 1980) is a Portuguese road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He was a domestique in the 2007, 2009 and 2010 Tour de France and won the silver medal for Portugal ...
, Allan Davis and
Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the V ...
- received a document clearing them of links to ''Operación Puerto'', the Spanish newspaper ''
El Diario Vasco ''El Diario Vasco'' (English: ''The Basque Daily'') is a Spanish morning daily newspaper based in San Sebastián, Basque Country. History and profile ''El Diario Vasco'' was founded in 1934 by the Sociedad Vascongada de Publicaciones, led by co ...
'' reported.Andrew Hood
Astana 5' cleared by Spanish courts
, ''VeloNews'', 26 July 2006
On 8 October, the
Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...
court in charge of the case told the Spanish cycling federation, the '' Real Federación Española de Ciclismo'' (RFEC), that court documents could not be used in the federation's investigations.Laura Weislo, Susan Westemeyer
''Puerto'' court orders Spanish federation not to act
''CyclingNews'', 8 October 2006
On 13 October,
Ivan Basso Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, was considered among the best mountain riders in ...
was cleared by Italian authorities due to lack of evidence. Ullrich was cleared by the Spanish courts on 25 October. The judge ruled that Ullrich and Basso were put under investigation without proof of involvement.Mark Kreidler
Ullrich may be free, but damage is done
''
ESPN.com ESPN.com is the official website of ESPN. It is owned by ESPN Internet Ventures, a division of ESPN Inc. History Since launching in April 1995 as ESPNET.SportsZone.com (ESPNET SportsZone), the website has developed numerous sections including ...
'', 27 October 2006
On 28 October, the RFEC closed disciplinary files against cyclists in the investigation. However, the RFEC will initiate disciplinary investigations on Manolo Sáiz.Laura Weislo
Spanish federation drops ''Operación Puerto'' cases
''CyclingNews'', 28 October 2006
UCI president Pat McQuaid was reported to feel let down by authorities in Spain. He hoped teams would require cyclists to submit DNA samples to clear their names.Agence France Presse
McQuaid frustrated by ''Puerto'' investigation
, ''VeloNews'', 28 October 2006
The investigations into Spanish riders were suspended.
'' L'Equipe'', 26 October 2006
On 7 March 2007, the case was dropped through lack of evidence of crime.


Admissions and evidence of doping

On 3 April 2007, the German news agency ''sid'' said nine bags of blood marked ''Jan'', ''number 1'' or ''Hijo Rudicio'' (Son of Rudy) matched Jan Ullrich's saliva DNA.''Puerto'' blood confirmed to be Ullrich's
''CyclingNews'', 4 April 2007
On 7 May, Basso admitted involvement with the scandal to the
Italian National Olympic Committee The Italian National Olympic Committee ( it, Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in Italy. ...
(CONI). On 9 May,
Michele Scarponi , birth_date = , birth_place = Jesi, Marche, Italy , death_date = , death_place = Filottrano, Marche, Italy , height = , weight = , discipline = Road , role = Climbing specialistDomestique , amateuryears1= 1988 ...
admitted he was ''Zapatero'' in Fuentes' files. And on 30 June,
Jörg Jaksche Jörg Armin JakscheAffidavit of Jörg Jaksche
d3epuodzu3wuis.cloudfront.net (born ...
admitted he was ''Bella''.Nesha Starcevic
German rider Joerg Jaksche admits blood doping from Spanish doctor
''International Herald Tribune'', June 30, 2007


Trial

In January 2013, the Operacion Puerto trial went underway, and Eufemiano Fuentes offered to reveal the names of all the athletes who were his clients. Julia Santamaria, the judge presiding the trial, told Fuentes that he was not under obligations to name any athlete other than the cyclists implicated. Fuentes stated that he supplied athletes in other sports with drugs and said: “I could identify all the samples f blood If you give me a list I could tell you who corresponds to each code on the loodpacks.” On the 30 April 2013 Fuentes was found guilty and given a one-year suspended prison sentence. The judge also ruled on a request to hand over blood bags to the
Spanish Anti-Doping Agency The Spanish Anti-Doping Agency, officially Spanish Commission for the Fight Against Doping in Sports (CELAD), is a Spanish state agency responsible for the protection of the right to health of all athletes and the protection of the right to part ...
. The judge ordered the blood bags destroyed, but the anti-doping agency has appealed. Additional appeals were filed by the
Union Cycliste Internationale The ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI; ; en, International Cycling Union) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland. The UCI issues raci ...
, the
Italian National Olympic Committee The Italian National Olympic Committee ( it, Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in Italy. ...
and the
World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...
, as well as by the prosecution. On 14 June 2016, the original verdict against Fuentes was overruled and he was cleared of all charges. However, 211 blood bags from his laboratory are set to be handed over to anti-doping authorities for investigation.


List of athletes named

According to the Guardia Civil, the following athletes have been named.


Cyclists


Teams

:; Astana-Würth ::*
Alberto Contador Alberto Contador Velasco (; born 6 December 1982) is a Spanish former professional cyclist. He is one of the most successful riders of his era, winning the Tour de France twice ( 2007, 2009), the Giro d'Italia twice (2008, 2015), and the V ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (26 July 2006). ::* Allan Davis – removed from the case by Spanish courts (26 July 2006), investigation closed by the
Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) was a government statutory authority tasked to protect Australia's sporting integrity through the elimination of doping. The authority was part of the Department of Health's portfolio and was ...
(14 December). ::*
Joseba Beloki Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (born 12 August 1973) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. Tour successes Beloki turned professional in 1998 with , joined in 2000, and then in 2001. A strong climber in the high mountains and a top p ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (26 July 2006). ::* David Etxebarría ::*
Isidro Nozal Isidro Nozal Vega (born 18 October 1977) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. Nozal was runner-up in the 2003 Vuelta a España and an instrumental domestique in Roberto Heras' 2004 Vuelta a España win. Doping In 2005, Vega was ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (26 July 2006). ::*
Unai Osa Unai Osa Eizaguirre (born 12 June 1975 in Zestoa) is a Spanish former road bicycle racer. He is the younger brother of Aitor Osa. He was involved in the Operación Puerto doping case.Sérgio Paulinho Sérgio Miguel Moreira Paulinho, ComIH (born 26 March 1980) is a Portuguese road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He was a domestique in the 2007, 2009 and 2010 Tour de France and won the silver medal for Portugal ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (26 July 2006). ::*
Michele Scarponi , birth_date = , birth_place = Jesi, Marche, Italy , death_date = , death_place = Filottrano, Marche, Italy , height = , weight = , discipline = Road , role = Climbing specialistDomestique , amateuryears1= 1988 ...
- admitted he is ''Zapatero'' in Fuentes' files. Scarponi was suspended on 16 May 2007. ::*
Marcos Serrano Marcos-Antonio Serrano Rodríguez (born 8 September 1972 in Redondela, Province of Pontevedra) is a professional cyclist from Galicia, Spain. Turning professional in 1993, he joined the Kelme team and then in 1999 the lottery-sponsored '' Organi ...
::*
Ángel Vicioso Ángel Vicioso Arcos (born 13 April 1977) is a Spanish former road racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 1999 and 2017 for the , , Relax–GAM, LA–MSS, , and squads. Major results ;1999 : 6th Overall Vuelta a Asturias ;2000 ...
:;
Comunidad Valenciana The Valencian Community ( ca-valencia, Comunitat Valenciana, es, Comunidad Valenciana) is an Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain. It is the fourth most populous Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous comm ...
::* Vicente Ballester – removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006).Antonio J. Salmerón
Comunidad Valenciana riders get all clear
''CyclingNews'', 30 July 2006
::*
David Bernabeu Vicente David Bernabeu Armengol (born 9 January 1975 in Valencia) is a former Spanish professional road bicycle racer. Palmarès ;2002 :Tour du Finistère :1st, Overall, Troféu Joaquim Agostinho ::1st, Stage 3 ;2004 :1st, Overall, Volta a ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006). ::*
David Blanco David Blanco Rodríguez (born 3 March 1975) is a Spanish former professional cyclist, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2012. Career Born in Bern, Switzerland, Blanco began his professional career in 2000 with the Portuguese team . His ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006). ::*
José Adrián Bonilla José Adrián Bonilla Bonilla (born April 28, 1978, in Paraíso, Costa Rica) is a Costa Rican former professional road bicycle racer. He competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics. He debuted professionally in 2004 with the ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006). ::* Juan Gomis – removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006). ::*
Eladio Jiménez Eladio Jiménez Sánchez (born 10 March 1976 in Ciudad Rodrigo, Province of Salamanca) is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer. On 7 December 2009 the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announced that Jiménez had tested positive f ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006). ::* David Latasa – removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006). ::*
Javier Pascual Rodríguez Javier Pascual Rodríguez (born 14 November 1971) is a Spanish former cyclist. Major results ;1998 : 1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Colombia ;1999 : 1st Overall Vuelta a Andalucía : 2nd Overall Vuelta a Murcia ::1st Stage 2 : 3rd Overall Vuelta a la Com ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006). ::*
Rubén Plaza Rubén Plaza Molina (born 29 February 1980) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2019 for the , S.L. Benfica, , (over three spells), , and teams. During his career, he recorded a to ...
– removed from the case by Spanish courts (28 July 2006).


Others in the cycling world

:; AG2R Prévoyance ::*
Francisco Mancebo Francisco Mancebo Pérez (born 9 March 1976) is a Spanish professional cyclist, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He initially rode for team , but moved to in 2006. Mancebo is a stage race specialist, with good climbing and indiv ...
– initially retired from cycling, but having severed ties with AG2R, joined Spanish professional continental team Relax-Gam. In 2009 he raced with USA-based
Rock Racing Rock Racing (UCI Code: RR) was a cycling team founded in 2007 by Michael Ball (fashion), Michael Ball. The team is affiliated with Ball's Rock & Republic clothing line. Rock Racing received media attention for hiring outcasts in the sport, includin ...
. :;
Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears Movistar Team () is a professional road bicycle racing team which participates at UCI WorldTeam level and has achieved thirteen general classification (GC) victories in Grand Tours. The title sponsor is the Spanish mobile telephone company Tele ...
::*
Constantino Zaballa Constantino Zaballa Gutiérrez (born 15 May 1978 in La Hayuela, Cantabria, Spain) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, best known for winning Clásica de San Sebastián in 2005. Towards the end of his career, Zaballa ventured ...
::*
Alejandro Valverde Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born 25 April 1980) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist, who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . Valverde's biggest wins have been the Vuelta a España in 2009, Critérium du Dauphiné in 2008 and 2009, ...
– the source of blood marked VALV.(PITI) (Piti being believed to be the name of Valverde's dog at the time). Valverde was suspended from racing in Italy from May 2009, and in May 2010 a two year suspension, backdated to 1 January 2010, was applied. :;
Team CSC Tinkoff () was a Russian-registered professional cycling team from Russia and previously Denmark. It competed in the UCI World Tour. The team was owned by Russian Oleg Tinkov and, from 1999 until March 2015, was managed by former Tour de France w ...
::*
Ivan Basso Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, was considered among the best mountain riders in ...
– Basso's contract with CSC was terminated by mutual agreement on 18 October 2006. On 27 October 2006 the case was dropped by the
Federazione Ciclistica Italiana The Italian Cycling Federation or FCI (in Italian: ''Federazione Ciclistica Italiana'') is the national governing body of cycle racing in Italy. The FCI is a member of the UCI and the UEC. Purpose See also *Italy national cycling team Exter ...
due to lack of evidence,Tim Maloney, Gregor Brown
Basso officially cleared in ''Operación Puerto''
''CyclingNews'', 27 October 2006
and he was then employed in December 2006 by Discovery Channel. On 24 April 2007 Basso was suspended by Discovery Channel when the
Italian National Olympic Committee The Italian National Olympic Committee ( it, Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in Italy. ...
(CONI) reopened his case. On 1 May 2007 Basso requested to be released from his Discovery Channel contract. This was granted. Basso attended a hearing on 2 May, and on 7 May 2007, admitted that he was ''Birillo''. Basso was suspended on 16 May 2007. ::*
Fränk Schleck Fränk René Schleck (born 15 April 1980) is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for and . Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, ...
- Schleck admitted transferring nearly 7000 euros to a bank account held by Dr. Fuentes, but denied any doping or personal contact with Fuentes. :; Phonak Hearing Systems ::* José Ignacio Gutiérrez ::*
José Enrique Gutiérrez José Enrique Gutiérrez Cataluña (born 18 June 1974) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. His career highlights include second place overall at the 2006 Giro d'Italia, winning a stage of the Vuelta a España and two stages at ...
::*
Santiago Botero Santiago Botero Echeverry (born October 27, 1972) is a Colombian former professional road bicycle racer. He was a pro from 1996 to 2010, during which time he raced in three editions of the Tour de France and four editions of the Vuelta a Españ ...
– case dropped by disciplinary committee of the Federación Colombiana de Ciclismo (2 October 2006).Andrew Hood
Botero cleared
, ''VeloNews'', 2 October 2006
:;
Rabobank Rabobank (; full name: ''Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.'') is a Dutch multinational banking and financial services company headquartered in Utrecht, Netherlands. The group comprises 89 local Dutch Rabobanks (2019), a central organisation (Raboban ...
::* Thomas Dekker – confirmed he was codename "Classicomano Luigi" (number 24). A reference to cycling coach Luigi Cecchini :; Saunier Duval-Prodir ::* Carlos Zárate ::*
Koldo Gil Koldo Gil Pérez (born 16 January 1978 in Burlata, Navarra) is a former Spanish professional road racing cyclist who last rode for the UCI Continental team Liberty Seguros Continental. His career highlights include winning a stage of the Gir ...
:;
T-Mobile Team T-Mobile is the brand name used by some of the mobile communications subsidiaries of the German telecommunications company Deutsche Telekom AG in the Czech Republic ( T-Mobile Czech Republic), Poland ( T-Mobile Polska), the United States (T-Mobil ...
::*
Óscar Sevilla Óscar Miguel Sevilla Rivera (born 29 September 1976), nicknamed ''El Niño'', is a Spanish-Colombian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI Continental team . He is a climber with a pedigree in stage races, having finis ...
- codename ''Sevillano.'' ::*
Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich (; born 2 December 1973) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. Ullrich won gold and silver medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Sydney. He won the 1999 Vuelta a España and the HEW Cyclassics in fro ...
- DNA tests confirmed that the 9 bags that were marked ''Jan'', number 1 or ''Hijo Rudicio'' (Son of Rudy) all contained Jan Ullrich's blood. An alleged doping plan was published in the newspaper, ''Süddeutsche Zeitung'', where Ullrich's suspected doping during the first week of the 2005 Tour de France was described. In 2013, Ullrich admitting to cooperate with Dr. Fuentes saying it was a mistake. :; Tinkoff Credit Systems ::*
Tyler Hamilton Tyler Hamilton (born March 1, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racer. He is the only American rider to win one of the five Monuments of cycling, taking Liège–Bastogne–Liège in 2003. Hamilton became a professional cycli ...
- at the time of the initial investigation, Hamilton was suspended for a prior doping offence. ''
Politiken ''Politiken'' is a leading Danish daily broadsheet newspaper, published by JP/Politikens Hus in Copenhagen, Denmark. It was founded in 1884 and played a role in the formation of the Danish Social Liberal Party. Since 1970 it has been indepe ...
'', a Danish newspaper, published details of alleged doping diary of Hamilton during the 2003 season when he rode for
Team CSC Tinkoff () was a Russian-registered professional cycling team from Russia and previously Denmark. It competed in the UCI World Tour. The team was owned by Russian Oleg Tinkov and, from 1999 until March 2015, was managed by former Tour de France w ...
. It described intake of EPO, growth hormones, testosterone and insulin on 114 days during the 200-day season of 2003. According to allegations originally published in ''El País'', Hamilton is to have paid over €43,000 to Fuentes and that in 2003 Hamilton took erythropoietin, blood transfusions, growth hormone, a hormone taken by menopausal women and anabolic steroids. ::*
Jörg Jaksche Jörg Armin JakscheAffidavit of Jörg Jaksche
d3epuodzu3wuis.cloudfront.net (born ...
- at the time of the initial investigation, Jaksche rode for Astana-Würth. On 30 June 2007, Jaksche admitted to ''Der Spiegel'' that he used Fuentes' services. He said that he was ''Bella'', or number 20. Jaksche had been under suspension by Tinkoff Credit Systems since May. :;
Unibet Unibet provides a platform for sports betting, online casino, bingo and online poker to over 11 million customers in over 100 countries. Unibet is a part of Kindred Group–an online gambling operator which consists of 11 brands along with Maria Ca ...
::* Carlos García Quesada


Already retired or suspended

*
Michele Bartoli Michele Bartoli (born 27 May 1970, in Pisa) is a retired Italian road racing cyclist. Bartoli was a professional from 1992 until 2004 and was one of the most successful single-day classics specialists of his generation, especially in the Italia ...
- on 25 May 2007 ''La Gazzetta dello Sport'' reported that Bartoli was connected to Fuentes with the code name ''Sansone''. Bartoli has not commented on this accusation. *
Ángel Casero Ángel Luis Casero Moreno (born 27 September 1972 in Albalat dels Tarongers, Province of Valencia) is a retired Spanish road bicycle racer who raced professionally between 1994 and 2005. His first win was at the 1995 Clásica a los Puertos de ...
*
Roberto Heras Roberto Heras Hernández (born 1 February 1974) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer who won the Vuelta a España a record four times. Between 1997 Vuelta a España, 1997 and 2005 Vuelta a España, 2005 he finished in the top 5 of ...
* Santiago Pérez *
Marco Pantani Marco Pantani (; 13 January 1970 – 14 February 2004) was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely regarded as the greatest climbing specialist in the history of the sport by measures of his legacy, credits from other riders, and records. He re ...
(deceased) '' Corriere della Sera'' reported that Pantani was connected to Fuentes with the code name ''PTNI'' in 2003. *
Mario Cipollini Mario Cipollini (; born 22 March 1967), often abbreviated to "Cipo", is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance (his first pro win came in 1988, his last in 2005; 170 p ...
, Fuentes' codename "Maria", according to the Gazzetta dello Sport.


Other athletes

On 5 July 2006, Fuentes was indignant that only cyclists had been named and said he also worked with tennis and football players. On 27 July 2006,
IAAF World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
was assured by Spanish prosecutors that no track and field athletes were involved.No hay atletas implicados en la 'Operación Puerto'
''Marca.com'', 27 July 2006
On 23 September 2006, former cyclist
Jesús Manzano Jesús María Manzano Ruano (San Lorenzo de El Escorial, 12 May 1978) is a former Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He is famous as the whistleblower of systematic doping within his cycling team and his statements led the Guardia Civil t ...
told reporters from
France 3 France 3 () is a French free-to-air public television channel and part of the France Télévisions group, which also includes France 2, France 4, France 5 and France Info. It is made up of a network of regional television services provi ...
that he had seen "well-known
footballers A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
" from
La Liga The Campeonato Nacional de Liga de Primera División, commonly known simply as Primera División in Spain, and as La Liga in English-speaking countries and officially as LaLiga Santander for sponsorship reasons, stylized as LaLiga, is the men's ...
visit the offices of Dr Fuentes. In May 2007 Sepp Blatter, president of
FIFA FIFA (; stands for ''Fédération Internationale de Football Association'' ( French), meaning International Association Football Federation ) is the international governing body of association football, beach football and futsal. It was found ...
, at a
World Anti-Doping Agency The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...
meeting in Montreal, was reportedly interested in the contents "of the Puerto file". ''
Le Monde ''Le Monde'' (; ) is a French daily afternoon newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average circulation of 323,039 copies per issue in 2009, about 40,000 of which were sold abroad. It has had its own website si ...
'' had reported in December 2006 that they had possession of documents of Fuentes detailing "seasonal preparation plans" for Spanish football clubs
FC Barcelona Futbol Club Barcelona (), commonly referred to as Barcelona and colloquially known as Barça (), is a professional football club based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, that competes in La Liga, the top flight of Spanish football. Found ...
and Real Madrid. These plans did not specifically name any players. No other athletes had been named. It had also been discovered that Fuentes received over €327,000 annually from Real Sociedad San Sebastián. The documentation of the doctor also contained the inscriptions "RSOC" a couple of times and "Cuentas illsAsti" which most probably stands for Astiazarán, president of the club from 2001 to 2005. In the 2002-03 La Liga season Real Sociedad finished second in the Spanish League, missing the championship by two points.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Operacion Puerto doping case Doping cases in cycling 2006 in cycle racing