"The riders were instructed on the methods of introducing the doping into the body without it being detected in doping controls" - W52-FC Porto riders and management face Portuguese court
Cycling
The former W52 - FC Porto team has had the most shocking doping accusations of the 2022 season and the riders and management now face court accusations.
Ten riders including notable former Volta a Portugal winners such as João Rodrigues, Joni Brandão and Rui Vinhas, aswell as José Neves, have been accused of administration of prohibited substances. Blood transfusions, growth hormones and testosterone were all mentioned in the documents shared in Portuguese media today.
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"The riders were instructed on the methods of introducing the doping into the body without it being detected in doping controls," the accusation said. "In addition, they received instructions for administering the doping."
Additionally it was said that the riders that took part in the process had consent from team managers and that they "always voluntarily and consciously carried out the facts, with the sole purpose of obtaining a financial and sporting advantage for themselves or for the team through the use of prohibited substances or blood transfusions."
The existence of an elaborate doping program is reminiscent of previous decades in pro cycling. However the team has suffered it's consequences, with all riders left without a contract for 2023 and the team being stripped of it's UCI license last summer. Amaro Antunes, former World Tour rider, was one of the few who was not accused and is absent from the case.
The team has since developed a mixed under-23/Elite squad and will be racing in the Portuguese peloton over this season.
Anyone who thinks most pro cyclists don't dope is kidding themselves. Of course they are still on the gear.
I don't believe most are.....but obviously there can't be any surprise if/when we learn otherwise. The UCI and the big teams have more to lose than to gain than they apparently once had in a letting organized doping programs go on. Marginal teams and riders on the fringe have more incentive, as this case shows. But if the mega-stars or big teams of today were caught on the kind of schemes seen here and it turned out UCI knew about it, it would destroy the sport. Having said that, Bahrain and I think one other team have been raided by the police in the last year or two, but as far as I know no one has been prosecuted or punished. The fact that this lower-tier team and its not-famous riders have been hit but no one from the world tour has is interesting.
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