Rudy Pevenage has been at the heart of the doping contraversy in cycling since the Operación Puerto scandal broke three years ago. Pevanage best known for his role as mentour for cycling great Jan Ulrich, has never said that his protege was involved in systematic doping, however he has begun to impart some more knowledge of the “doping underground” in an interview with Cyclismag.
“There is not only Fuentes. There are at least five others and none of them have been discovered by authorities so far, ” said Pevenage in an interview. “In France, Italy, Belgium, Switzerland no one talks about what is going on.”
His words likely strike a tone with doping authorities being as Italians were at the center of last years Tour de France doping scandal. Cyclists Ricardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli have both admitted to doping after being caught using Cera by a surprise test for the substance that was secretly implemented by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD). Austrian Bernard Kohl and German Stefan Schumacher were also caught as a result of the AFLD’s efforts.
Pevenage has recently taken on the job as team director for Michael Ball’s Rock Racing team, a team that has drawn criticism for its strong ties to the Operación Puerto case. The team has in it’s ranks Tyler Hamilton, Jose Guttierez, Francisco Mancebo, and Oscar Sevilla, all of which are suspected in the case. Ball continues to stand behind his choices, and it seems that bringing in Pevenage may bring Ulrich over as a PR representative for 2010.