Mark Schmidt, the German sports doctor at the centre of the Operation Aderlass blood doping investigation, has been jailed for four years and 10 months by a Munich court. The former Gerolsteiner and Milram team doctor was found guilty of 24 counts of using doping methods and two counts of prohibited use of drugs.
Operation Aderlass first hit the headlines in February 2019 when a number of arrests were made at the Nordic World Ski Championships in Austria following admissions made by cross-country skier Johannes Dürr.
The investigation subsequently expanded to cyclists. Several have since been sanctioned, of which the highest profile is the Italian rider Alessandro Petacchi – winner of Milan-San Remo and the points jersey at all three Grand Tours – who received a two-year ban in 2019.
Kristijan Durasek, Kristijan Koren, Borut Božič, Georg Preidler and Stefan Denifl have also been banned, while former Swiss pro Pirmin Lang left the team he founded after admitting his involvement.
Schmidt was arrested in February 2019 and went on trial in September 2020, along with four accomplices who have also been found guilty. Two received suspended sentences and two were fined.
The BBC reports that in a written statement read out by his lawyers, Schmidt said, "I took a wrong turn and have myself to blame." He added, "I am infinitely sorry that I dragged the other four into it."
Schmidt admitted blood doping from 2012 onwards, but claimed he didn't financially profit from it and that no-one's health was put at risk.
As well as the jail sentence, he was fined €158,000 and banned from practising medicine for a further three years.
That is utterly horrific. The tail bar must have cleared your leg by scant millimetres. Not even an attempt to slow down from the driver, let alone...
Wheels have average speeds now?...
"Extenuating Circumstances" - of course there can be, but you'd better be prepared to argue them in court. In my experience the main extenuating...
The Police around my way solved the problem of car parking in the 70cm reserved cycling gutter, at least for the day of one special event, by...
They love putting various road works signs on the cycle lane over Caversham Bridge. Mostly for things that don't really relate to the cyclists.
Had a look round an S5 at a local bike shop. It is a fabulous looking bike, but needs a modest lottery win at £12k! ...
I use unconventional mixtures of road and MTB equipment on my road bikes because the big brand groupsets don't recognise that avoiding traffic...
As it's a parallel crossing, the driver does of course have exactly the same obligation. Though I think perhaps you are being ironic. HWC195.
I won a set of the Aces in a BC competition a few years ago (before I moved to Cycling UK). Used them a couple of times before giving up for above...
Yes I missed the daylight saving. Hope I didn't advantage anyone. Had to disappear well before race start so I didn't pick it up. All times were...