Puerto: High levels of EPO found in seized bags of blood

According to Spanish media reports 8 of around 90 bags of blood that were seized by the Spanish guardia Civil during a raid on May 23 had high levels of an artificial form of EPO. The bags of blood were examined by a laboratory in Barcelona and the lab reported its findings to the judge in charge of the investigation. The bags of blood were found in two appartments that belong to Spanish doctor Eufemiano Fuentes.

Spanisch daily newspaper El Mundo reported yesterday that the 8 bags with EPO are linked to the codenames "Klaus, number 5 or Sevillano, Falla, Mari, Gemma and number 18 or Valv. Piti.  

Tyler Hamilton to Tinkoff

In an official statement Tyler Hamilton confirmed what was already known for several weeks: Tyler Hamilton will make a comeback in the 2007 season and signed with Tinkoff. Hamilton said: "It's possible you've already heard that I have signed a contract to return to racing in 2007. I'm pleased to announce I will be joining an Italian based Continental Pro team sponsored by Tinkoff Credit Systems in January."

Hamilton continued in his statement with: "I am looking forward to putting the difficult ordeal of the last two years behind me and I am grateful to Oleg Tinkoff for believing in my potential and my future as a cyclist. I'm excited about returning to racing and look forward to being part of a developing organization and riding among cyclists with enormous potential. Oleg Tinkoff, an avid cyclist himself, is making an enormous commitment to the future of the sport by providing support for this team comprised of many very talented riders. I'm looking forward to being part of a motivated, well organized program."

About riding for a new team Hamilton said: "There have been a number of transitions throughout my racing career so I am no stranger to being part of a new team. Looking back, I have to say the best experiences in my career came about when I rode for little known teams on the upswing. I was part of US Postal when they were the new kids on the block in Europe in 1997. Few people knew what to expect from CSC in 2002 when I started with them after they had just gone under new management. And back in 2004, Phonak was setting it sights on riding in the Tour de France for just the very first time."

Tyler is looking forward to the new season: "I guess you could say I have grown to like the role of underdog. I have come to realize that those moments when you feel the need to prove something or accomplish a goal for the very first time are motivators like no other. So I am looking forward to January with that now familiar anticipation that's fueled by a combination of excitement and anxiousness for the year ahead."

Tyler Hamilton was banned for two years after he tested positive during the Vuelta Espana 2004, but that does not seem to bather Tinkoff manager Omar Piscina: "Our team really wanted this agreement to be achieved for a number of reasons. Tyler has an undisputable measure of talent and, having joined the team, he is sure to help it jump up a level in quality. We are aware of the problems he had in the past, but other sportsmen have also been in similar situations before, and we are convinced that Hamilton has as much right to be given a second chance as any of them."

Tinkhoff has signed 17 riders for the 2007 season: Tyler Hamilton (USA), Elio Aggiano (Ita), Pavel Brutt (Rus), Ilya Chernetsky (Rus), Salvatore Commesso (Ita), Daniele Contrini (Ita), Danilo Hondo (Ger), Sergey Klimov (Rus), Mikhail Ignatyev (Rus), Ruggero Marzoli (Ita), Anton Mindlin (Rus), Evgueni Petrov (Rus), Ivan Rovny (Rus), Alexander Serov (Rus), Ricardo Gonzales Serrano (Spa), Nikolay Trusov (Rus) and Steffen Weigold (Ger).