Basso and Scarponi collaborate with Italian anti-doping authorities
Italian riders Ivan Basso and Michele Scarponi confessed there involvement
in the Puerto doping scandal although Ivan Basso told reporters during a press conference on Tuesday in Milano, Italy: "It
is only attempted doping. In my career I have never used doping substances or transfusions." The 29 year old rider continued
by saying: "I will serve my punishment and return to racing." Basso said he could not speak about everything because of legal
reasons.
In a statement on the Discovery Channel team website, Team general manager
Bill Stapleton said: "I was quite surprised that Basso has now confirmed that he had in fact been involved with Dr. Fuentes.
He assured us that he was not a party to the allegations surrounding him and we required him to sign a contract stating he
would provide his DNA if asked." ´Stapleton continued by saying: "As I stated prior, we did our due diligence prior to signing
Ivan. Both the CONI and FCI had cleared him to race and we received assurances that he was not involved. We did our homework
on the case and this is now an issue for Basso and CONI to determine."
Discovery's sports director Johan Bruyneel said: "I am disappointed and
saddened by the events of the previous week." Bruyneel continued by saying: "Ivan was hired because we believed him to
have been clean. When we granted his request to be released we did so because he could no longer assure us of the outcome
of his case. It is an unfortunate situation for us but we are committed to running a clean team and I know we will continue
to win races. This Team was not built solely around Ivan."
Bruyneel and Stapleton were not the only people who were dissapointed, CSC
team manager Bjarne Riis who was accused by former Telekom soigneur Jef D'Hont to have won the 1996 Tour de France after taking
epo, told Danish daily newspaper BT: "Both Ivan Basso and I have moved on," Riis said. "I felt let down and sad that I had
to fire him."
Basso was critisized after his pres conference but Ivan Basso's lawyer,
Massimo Martelli told Italian daily sports Gazzetta Dello Sport: "Ivan told everything related to his case to CONI. He can
only spaek for himself. The riders did not drive by bus to Fuentes in Spain." Martelli's remarks indictae that Basso might
have told CONI more than he told reporters during the press conference.
After Basso admited he is the rider behind the Fuentes codename Birillio,
Michele Scarponi told the Italian anti-doping authorities CONI on Tuesday : "Yes, I am Zapatero and Il Presidente."
Italian daily sports Gazzetta dello Sport reported that "Scarponi explained in two hours the whole doping system of Fuentes."
The chief investigator of CONI, Ettore Torri wants to talk with WADA officials
in order to achieve a reduced sentence for Scarponi and Basso. Torri thinks a suspension of one year is enough punishment.
Torri also said: "They have fear to talk. These guys are victims surrounded by manager, doctors and henchmen."
