Marcos Maynar: "Training alone does not make the Tour de France winner go at Induráin speeds in his time trials"

Marcos Maynar, the main investigated in Operation Ilex for an alleged crime against public health and administration of doping substances, has granted an exclusive interview to El Contraanálisis to which we had access in which, in addition to talking about Caja Rural and doping in general, he touches on other issues.

In this second part of the interview he talks about Jumbo-Visma, Miguel Angel Lopez (whom he defends to the hilt) and what he thinks about doping as a sports doctor. He comments on Jonas Vingegaard and Sepp Kuss, without accusing them directly of anything, but leaving open some doubts without providing any evidence. He asks for clarification for Michel Hessmann's positive result.

"Do you think Jumbo-Visma is doing so well on ketones? Knowing the limitations they have which, among other things, don't help you at high intensity of effort, is he going to allow you those blatant efforts he made in the Tour de France time trial? For Kuss I would tell you that someone's hand has gone off in the Vuelta a España and they've revved him up too much and I don't think he had time to go for the training. Do you know what I mean? The suspicions are always going to be there and they are among the best. So let's say that because my riders are doing well it's because of doping. No man, no, there are alternative methods.

"Curiously one of the Jumbo cyclists has tested positive for a diuretic. Diuretics are masking agents, what could be behind that diuretic".

"As they say in Colombia, he would have sent me to hell if I had done it. The first condition that he always put, from the beginning, was that no doping substances. How am I going to send this man something and send it to him with the records that are made in the Giro, in the Tour? Especially in Italy. It's absurd.

"For the others I do not put my hand in the fire for substances that are not detected at the moment but are not allowed. I will not put my hand in the fire for anyone, only for Miguel Angel Lopez. Because I do know what he was taking. I know how strong he is. And for him to have been taken with the hook in the Tour de France or the others, I wouldn't worry about nonsense like this. Let them worry and tell the UCI to investigate, they are making a fool of themselves. Training alone doesn't do what the Tour de France winner has done at Induráin speeds in his time trials, comparing the structures of one and the other. Something other than technology is also there.

"Your colleagues have baptized it as poor man's doping and that's bullshit, poor man's EPO. It has no effect on tissue oxygenation. It helps the coronary, that's the main function it has. It is a substance that goes into drug trafficking, not doping. It does not appear on the WADA anti-doping lists, it is forbidden to be marketed. I have not sold Actovegin to anyone. I as a doctor have given the drug. I have advised the use of this substance and I have not committed doping. I am absolutely calm because I believe in justice. I have not committed any doping offence.

"Doping seems to me to be an injustice with respect to those who don't dope. The one who dopes is cheating, he is a cheater. He sees that there are riders who when he trains have the same level and then comes the competition and gets a minute. Now, do not come with the health thing. The UCI doesn't care about the athlete's health, otherwise they wouldn't let riders with a very low hematocrit compete, this is not going to stop. But the mentality of the athlete is changing. The key is education.

"Gene doping already exists. We can manipulate genes. We already know which genes induce to produce more or less EPO and which one produces more testosterone. So with a simple genetic manipulation by introducing a virus. Well, there will be riders who are sure to be left. I don't think [Alexande] Vinokourov is going to let his two cycling sons do what he did".

JONAS VINGEGAARD SAID HE WOULD NOT TAKE ANYTHING HE WOULDN'T GIVE TO HIS DAUGHTER. DO YOU KNOW THAT HE DOESN'T BELIEVE JUMBO-VISMA IS SUPPLYING DOPING SUBSTANCES?

"I deny it. I don't know. I know positively of natural substances that can increase natural levels of testosterone, growth hormones... you can increase the hematocrit with substances sold at the herbalist. What happens is that times change. It is not the same to do it with a plant that takes you a month to raise your testosterone levels, when there are faster ways to do it pharmacologically, but in the end you can achieve the same goals. There are alternatives to help the athlete improve his performance without harming his health".

"We don't know, maybe they are giving him master formulas. We don't know, what I can tell you from my experience with herbal products, the importance is to know when to give it and how to give it."

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY JUAN LARRA (@MrGladbach)