Czech rider okayed by Saxo-Tinkoff and national federation
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Roman Kreuziger (Saxo-Tinkoff) saved his team's spring by winning Amstel Gold Race(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Amstel Gold Race winner Roman Kreuziger(Image credit: Sonja Csury)
Roman Kreuziger (Team Saxo - Tinkoff)(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Michele Ferrari leaves a tribunal in Bologna, Italy in 2004(Image credit: AFP)
Roman Kreuziger's admission that he worked with Dr. Michele Ferrari seven years ago will apparently remain without any repercussions. Both his team, Saxo-Tinkoff, and the Czech cycling federation have said that they will take no action against him. He said that the Italian helped him with workouts and that there was no doping involved.
“I cannot remember the exact dates, but he was my coach for little more than a year, from autumn 2006 to winter 2007,” Kreuziger told sporten.dk. “When I started working with him, I was 20 years old. It was my first year as a professional, and at the time I was convinced that he was one of the best coaches in the world. That's why I contacted him then.
“At the time I did not know that it was forbidden. Today I know that it was poor judgment on my part, and it is quite evident that it was not the right thing to do.
“I regret that and I take full responsibility for my decisions. But I would also like to make it clear that there never was doping involved in our relationship. I received only guidance from him. He helped me with workouts and did some tests on me.”
Kreuziger could conceivably face a suspension for his work with Ferrari, but it appears that both his team and national federation do not seem inclined to sanction him.
“Roman told the same to us as he has told you, and we accept his explanation,” team spokesman Anders Damgaard told sporten.dk.
"We are convinced that Roman has a sincere desire to help cycling forward and work for a clean sport, and the attitude is essential to have when you are on our team.”
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Kreuziger, who won this year's Amstel Gold Race, had been asked by journalists at Liege-Bastogne-Liege about his connection to Ferrari, and refused to answer questions at that time. “I did not want to hide it. But I had decided that the best thing would be to go to the Czech federation first to inform them about the case before I went to the public. I spoke with my federation shortly after the Tour de Romandie.”
Marian Stetina, head of the federation, said it would take no action unless the UCI notified it that Kreuziger had a positive doping control. “Roman Kreuziger's statement about his collaboration with Dr. Ferrari is a private statement between him and his team, Saxo-Tinkoff. In his statement, Kreuziger denied that he used illegal drugs. Since the Czech cycling federation has no other evidence, our association will not look into this matter.”
