Saxo Bank rider irritated by ex-Ullrich trainer’s vague statements.
Rudy Pevenage’s not so surprising admission that he arranged trips to visit Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes for his former rider, Jan Ullrich, was not all that earth shattering. The only thing Pevenage did was confirm what authorities already found on his computer: Ullrich visited the infamous offices of Fuentes 24 times between 2003 and 2006.
However, his statements saying that he knew of other riders, teams, and doctors involved in the vast doping process, including current riders, raised the ire of the ever outspoken Jens Voigt.
According to Jens Voigt, Pevenage should either speak plainly about what he knows, or not say anything at all. “He should stop beating around the bush and say exactly which riders and teams were involved. He should substantiate his claims or be quiet.”
The plain speaking Erik Zabel acted as the voice of the entire world when he mused: “They found more than 200 blood bags in Spain. Up until this point, only 5 riders have been suspended. So one has to wonder where the other names – including those from other sports – have gone.”
This morning in L’Equipe, Pevenage asked the rhetorical question, “Why should I lie any longer?” It will be interesting to see if Pevenage answers the call of full disclosure from Voigt and Zabel.
Every piece of truth could go a long way to telling the dark story of years gone by. One has to wonder whether the stories of Landis and Pevenage could overlap.