Dutch site claims Menchov, Boogerd, Dekker and Rasmussen underwent doping
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Levi Leipheimer at the Tour de France opening press conference(Image credit: AFP Photo)
Thomas Dekker (Garmin-Barracuda)(Image credit: Fabrice Lambert/sportbreizh.com)
Michael Boogerd would always target the race(Image credit: Sirotti)
A relaxed Denis Menchov (Katusha) in Brescia.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Michael Rasmussen rides into yellow at the 2007 Tour de France.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Former Rabobank team doctor Geert Leinders played a central role in doping at that team, according to a Dutch media report. Levi Leipheimer is said to have named the doctor in his statement to USADA in the Lance Armstrong investigation.
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The Dutch website nrc.nl claims to have seen an uncensored version of Leipheimer's affidavit, in which he said “I continued to use EPO while with Rabobank in 2002, 2003 and 2004, and was also assisted in using by the Rabobank team doctor Geert Leinders, from whom I purchased EPO.” The name of the doctor was blacked out in the publicly released version of the document.
The website further claims to have proof that former Rabobank riders Michael Boogerd, Thomas Dekker, Denis Menchov and Michael Rasmussen all traveled to Austria for blood doping through the Viennese Humanplasma blood bank. The transfusion are said to have taken place in the village of Steyrermühl.
The riders have all denied such involvement. However, Boogerd told the website that he met Stefan Matschiner, the man behind the blood doping scheme at a wine bar in Vienna, and that he had also paid Matschiner several times. “But that was for vitamins and not for drugs.”
Dekker has never admitted publicly to blood doping, insisting only that he had never been to Vienna. However, this fall his team manager, Jonathan Vaughters of Garmin-Sharp, said that the Dutchman had used blood doping in the past.
The website also says that Bernhard Kohl claimed that “top riders” from Rabobank were involved in Humanplasma, and that they were escorted by “team leaders.” One of these is said to be Leinders, allegedly visiting the clinic in late 2004. Leinders has denied that.
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Kohl, who worked closely with Matschiner, was banned after testing positive for EPO-CERA at the 2008 Tour de France. He subsequently made a complete confession and co-operated with authorities.
