Dutch team insists it is committed to the biological passport
Its rider today was confirmed as being the latest biological passport case in cycling, but Rabobank has said that it did what it could to ensure that Carlos Barredo had no issues upon joining the team.
“Before Carlos Barredo’s recruitment in 2011, the team conducted an extensive screening,” it insisted. “Carlos Barredo does not count any violation of the doping regulation on his personal record, information about Barredo was obtained at the UCI, experts examined his blood and the doctor of his previous team, QuickStep, was consulted and issued a certificate of good behaviour.”
Barredo moved to the team after competing with Liberty Seguros between 2004 and 2006, and Quick Step Innergetic from 2007 to 2010. His questionable blood values span the period between 2007 to 2011. He was questioned by the UCI in early July 2012.
According to Rabobank, he worked with the team to answer the questions before the deadline of July 24th. “At that point, they were preliminary questions, there was no sign of a legal procedure,” said the team. “At the end of September, the UCI asked Barredo the additional questions. Those questions were again answered within the established deadline. Rabobank offered him all the support and knowledge necessary to answer the questions.”
It states that Barredo has ‘strongly denied’ doping in the past, as well as doing so with the Rabobank squad. “If this statement reveals to be false, the team will consider it unnacceptable,” it said, adding that he was suspended for the time being, and that his contract ends in December 2012.
Whatever the outcome, the team said it remained committed to doing the sport in the right way. “The Rabobank Cycling Team stands behind the blood passport, the team supports a clean sport. The Rabobank Cycling Team is co-initiator of the blood passport and cooperates for the improvement of the blood passport.”