Latest news with #OperationAderlass


The Sun
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Arensman gives Ineos something to cheer about as doping cloud hangs
THYMEN Arensman gave Ineos-Grenadiers something to cheer about, despite a doping cloud hanging over the team, as he won the 14th stage of the Tour de France following a superb solo ride in the 182.6-km mountain trek between Pau and Superbagneres on Saturday. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey as he took second place by beating chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in a two-man sprint finish, one minute 12 seconds behind Arensman, the first rider from the British outfit to win on the Tour in two years. Ineos Grenadiers have been facing questions about one of their team carers, who is at the centre of allegations involving alleged message exchanges in 2012 with a doctor connected to the notorious Operation Aderlass doping scandal, which rocked the sporting world in 2019. Bradley Wiggins won the Tour in 2012 with the team, which was then known as Team Sky before Chris Froome went on to win another four for the squad. The team carer was seen at the beginning of the Tour in Lille but has not been sighted in recent days. 'I have no idea about this, you have to ask the management about this. I'm just focused on my job, doing my own thing,' Arensman told reporters. Ineos Grenadiers were not immediately available for comment. Although no formal charges have been brought, the development has cast a shadow over the team's Tour campaign. 'Ineos Grenadiers Cycling Team is aware of recent media allegations relating to the 2012 season and a member of its staff. These allegations have not to date been presented to the team by any appropriate authority,' the team said in a statement. The team added that it had formally requested information from the International Testing Agency (ITA) and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy regarding doping violations. The ITA told Reuters it would not further comment on the matter. Blood transfusions Operation Aderlass, which began with a raid during the 2019 Nordic World Ski Championships in Austria, implicated athletes and medical personnel across several sports, including cycling. The doctor at the centre of the case, Mark Schmidt, was later convicted and sentenced to prison for administering illegal blood transfusions. On the Tour, defending champion Pogacar extended his lead over Dane Vingegaard in the general classification by six seconds to 4:13 at the end of the Pyrenean stage, where Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who had started the day in third place overall, abandoned. The day belonged to Arensman, however, as the Dutchman went solo from the day's breakaway in the penultimate climb to the Col de Peyresourde (7.1 km at 7.8%) before his team car hit and knocked down a spectator amid the usual roadside chaos on the Tour. Arensman never looked back and held firm on his way up to Superbagneres (12.4 km at 7.3%) as Vingegaard attacked several times in an attempt to drop Pogacar. But the world champion did not flinch and easily beat his rival in the final metres to further cement his dominance. 'I can't really believe it. I got sick after the Giro, but I had a good preparation going into my first Tour. I had to be patient and wait for the mountains to try my luck. This is unbelievable, the way I did it today,' Arensman said. 'I had amazing legs and I'm in the shape of my life. I thought with Tadej and Jonas in the favourites group three minutes behind, I was not sure I had enough, but I held them off.' The peloton, controlled by Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG, reduced the gap with the breakaway from four to just over two minutes, giving the sense that the Slovenian would go for the win. But Arensman had other ideas and he went on his own in the Col de Peyresourde and never looked back - REUTERS

Gulf Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- Gulf Today
Arensman wins 14th stage, Pogacar retains overall Tour de France lead
Thymen Arensman gave Ineos-Grenadiers something to cheer about, despite a doping cloud hanging over the team, as he won the 14th stage of the Tour de France following a superb solo ride in the 182.6-km mountain trek between Pau and Superbagneres on Saturday. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey as he took second place by beating chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in a two-man sprint finish, one minute 12 seconds behind Arensman, the first rider from the British outfit to win on the Tour in two years. Ineos Grenadiers have been facing questions about one of their team carers, who is at the centre of allegations involving alleged message exchanges in 2012 with a doctor connected to the notorious Operation Aderlass doping scandal, which rocked the sporting world in 2019. Bradley Wiggins won the Tour in 2012 with the team, which was then known as Team Sky before Chris Froome went on to win another four for the squad. The team carer was seen at the beginning of the Tour in Lille but has not been sighted in recent days. 'I have no idea about this, you have to ask the management about this. I'm just focused on my job, doing my own thing,' Arensman told reporters. Ineos Grenadiers were not immediately available for comment. Although no formal charges have been brought, the development has cast a shadow over the team's Tour campaign. 'Ineos Grenadiers Cycling Team is aware of recent media allegations relating to the 2012 season and a member of its staff. These allegations have not to date been presented to the team by any appropriate authority,' the team said in a statement. The team added that it had formally requested information from the International Testing Agency (ITA) and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy regarding doping violations. The ITA told Reuters it would not further comment on the matter. BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS: Operation Aderlass, which began with a raid during the 2019 Nordic World Ski Championships in Austria, implicated athletes and medical personnel across several sports, including cycling. The doctor at the centre of the case, Mark Schmidt, was later convicted and sentenced to prison for administering illegal blood transfusions. On the Tour, defending champion Pogacar extended his lead over Dane Vingegaard in the general classification by six seconds to 4:13 at the end of the Pyrenean stage, where Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who had started the day in third place overall, abandoned. The day belonged to Arensman, however, as the Dutchman went solo from the day's breakaway in the penultimate climb to the Col de Peyresourde (7.1 km at 7.8%) before his team car hit and knocked down a spectator amid the usual roadside chaos on the Tour. Arensman never looked back and held firm on his way up to Superbagneres (12.4 km at 7.3%) as Vingegaard attacked several times in an attempt to drop Pogacar. But the world champion did not flinch and easily beat his rival in the final metres to further cement his dominance. 'I can't really believe it. I got sick after the Giro, but I had a good preparation going into my first Tour. I had to be patient and wait for the mountains to try my luck. This is unbelievable, the way I did it today,' Arensman said. 'I had amazing legs and I'm in the shape of my life. I thought with Tadej and Jonas in the favourites group three minutes behind, I was not sure I had enough, but I held them off.' The peloton, controlled by Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG, reduced the gap with the breakaway from four to just over two minutes, giving the sense that the Slovenian would go for the win. But Arensman had other ideas and he went on his own in the Col de Peyresourde and never looked back. Meanwhile, an Ineos-Grenadiers team car hit and knocked down a spectator during the 14th stage of the Tour de France cycle race, TV footage showed on Saturday. The team car was in the middle of the road on the Col de Peyresourde, about 200 metres from the top of the ascent, when it struck the spectator, who was cheering the riders on. Agencies

TimesLIVE
4 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Arensman gives Ineos something to cheer about as doping cloud hangs
Thymen Arensman gave Ineos-Grenadiers something to cheer about, despite a doping cloud hanging over the team, as he won the 14th stage of the Tour de France following a superb solo ride in the 182.6-km mountain trek between Pau and Superbagneres on Saturday. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey as he took second place by beating chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in a two-man sprint finish, one minute 12 seconds behind Arensman, the first rider from the British outfit to win on the Tour in two years. Ineos Grenadiers have been facing questions about one of their team carers, who is at the centre of allegations involving alleged message exchanges in 2012 with a doctor connected to the notorious Operation Aderlass doping scandal, which rocked the sporting world in 2019. Bradley Wiggins won the Tour in 2012 with the team, which was then known as Team Sky before Chris Froome went on to win another four for the squad. The team carer was seen at the beginning of the Tour in Lille but has not been sighted in recent days. "I have no idea about this, you have to ask the management about this. I'm just focused on my job, doing my own thing," Arensman told reporters. Ineos Grenadiers were not immediately available for comment. Although no formal charges have been brought, the development has cast a shadow over the team's Tour campaign. "Ineos Grenadiers Cycling Team is aware of recent media allegations relating to the 2012 season and a member of its staff. These allegations have not to date been presented to the team by any appropriate authority," the team said in a statement. The team added that it had formally requested information from the International Testing Agency (ITA) and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy regarding doping violations. The ITA told Reuters it would not further comment on the matter.

Straits Times
5 days ago
- Sport
- Straits Times
Arensman gives Ineos something to cheer about as doping cloud hangs
Cycling - Tour de France - Stage 14 - Pau to Superbagneres - Pau, France - July 19, 2025 Ineos Grenadiers' Thymen Arensman celebrates as he crosses the finish line to win stage 14 REUTERS/Benoit Tessier BAGNERES-DE-LUCHON, France - Thymen Arensman gave his Ineos-Grenadiers team something to cheer about as he won the 14th stage of the Tour de France after a superb solo ride in the 182.6-km (113-mile) mountain trek between Pau and Superbagneres on Saturday. Slovenian Tadej Pogacar retained the overall leader's yellow jersey as he took second place by beating chief rival Jonas Vingegaard in a two-man sprint finish, one minute 12 seconds behind Arensman, the first rider from the British outfit to win on the Tour in two years. Ineos Grenadiers have been facing questions about one of their team carers, who is at the centre of allegations involving alleged message exchanges in 2012 with a doctor connected to the notorious Operation Aderlass doping scandal, which rocked the sporting world in 2019. Bradley Wiggins won the Tour in 2012 with the team, which was then known as Team Sky before Chris Froome went on to win another four for the squad. Although no formal charges have been brought, the development has cast a shadow over the team's Tour campaign, with the carer nowhere to be seen in recent days. "Ineos Grenadiers Cycling Team is aware of recent media allegations relating to the 2012 season and a member of its staff. These allegations have not to date been presented to the team by any appropriate authority," the team said in a statement. The team added that it had formally requested information from the International Testing Agency (ITA) and reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy regarding doping violations. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Mindef, SAF units among those dealing with attack on S'pore's critical information infrastructure Asia How China's growing cyber-hacking capabilities have raised alarm around the world Asia At least 34 killed as tourist boat capsizes in Vietnam's Halong Bay Singapore 1 dead, 1 injured after dispute between neighbours at Yishun HDB block Singapore Vessels from Navy, SCDF and MPA to debut at Marina Bay in NDP maritime display Asia Autogate glitch at Malaysia's major checkpoints causes chaos for S'porean and foreign travellers Asia SIA, Scoot, Cathay Pacific cancel flights as typhoon nears Hong Kong Singapore A deadly cocktail: Easy access, lax attitudes driving Kpod scourge in S'pore The ITA told Reuters it would not further comment on the matter. SOLO Operation Aderlass, which began with a raid during the 2019 Nordic World Ski Championships in Austria, implicated athletes and medical personnel across several sports, including cycling. The doctor at the centre of the case, Mark Schmidt, was later convicted and sentenced to prison for administering illegal blood transfusions. On the Tour, defending champion Pogacar extended his lead over Dane Vingegaard in the general classification by six seconds to 4:13 at the end of the Pyrenean stage, where Belgian Remco Evenepoel, who had started the day in third place overall, abandoned. The day belonged to Arensman, however, as the Dutchman went solo from the day's breakaway in the penultimate climb to the Col de Peyresourde (7.1 km at 7.8%) before his team car hit and knocked down a spectator amid the usual roadside chaos on the Tour. Arensman never looked back and held firm on his way up to Superbagneres (12.4 km at 7.3%) as Vingegaard attacked several times in an attempt to drop Pogacar. But the world champion did not flinch and easily beat his rival in the final metres to further cement his dominance. "I can't really believe it. I got sick after the Giro, but I had a good preparation going into my first Tour. I had to be patient and wait for the mountains to try my luck. This is unbelievable, the way I did it today," Arensman said. "I had amazing legs and I'm in the shape of my life. I thought with Tadej and Jonas in the favourites group three minutes behind, I was not sure I had enough, but I held them off." The peloton, controlled by Pogacar's UAE Team Emirates-XRG, reduced the gap with the breakaway from four to just over two minutes, giving the sense that the Slovenian would go for the win. But Arensman had other ideas and he went on his own in the Col de Peyresourde and never looked back. REUTERS


Irish Independent
6 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Independent
Team Ineos release statement in response to Paul Kimmage article in Sunday Independent
Team principal Dave Brailsford refused to comment when approached on a number of occasions at the Tour de France about the revelations that David Rozman, a long-term carer at the British cycling team, arranged to meet Dr Mark Schmidt at the team hotel during the 2012 Tour. The team were also asked for comment before the publication of last weekend's article by Paul Kimmage but they did not respond. A statement from the team was released on Thursday night. 'Ineos Grenadiers Cycling Team is aware of recent media allegations relating to the 2012 season and a member of its staff,' it read. 'These allegations have not to date been presented to the team by any appropriate authority, however the team has made a formal request to the International Testing Agency (ITA) to request any information it considers relevant. The team reiterates its policy of zero tolerance to any breach of the applicable WADA codes, historic or current.' The statement failed to address any of the key issues raised in the Sunday Independent story which followed on from an investigative television documentary by German broadcasters ARD that linked a Team Ineos staff member with Dr Schmidt, based on German Court documents, who was sent to prison for five years for his part in the blood-doping investigation, Operation Aderlass. ARD could not name the Ineos staff member due to legal and privacy laws in Germany but he was identified as Rozman in the Sunday Independent last week. The Slovenia carer, or masseur, has been with the team since 2011, when it was known as Team Sky, and had been working at this year's Tour de France. The recent reporting has revealed details that were part of Schmidt's 2020 criminal trial, including a number of text message exchanges between Schmidt and Rozman. Brailsford returned to Team Ineos before this year's Tour de France after stepping back from his role with Manchester United. Brailsford led the team through their most successful period during which they won seven Tours in eight years, starting with Bradley Wiggins in 2012. Rozman is believed to have worked with four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome. No Team Sky/Ineos rider has been sanction or named in the investigation.