CYCLING/Tour de France: The scale of the clandestine businesses that supply drugs to cyclists became clear yesterday when the turnover of the blood-boosting network exposed in Operation Puerto was revealed to have topped €8 million in the last four years, while a ring in south-west France which dealt in the cocktail known as Belgian Mix netted the dealers more than €150,000 in two years.
The two operations worked at opposite ends of the cycling spectrum: the Spanish network centred on Dr Eufemiano Fuentes dealt with elite cyclists. The Belgian Mix, a cocktail based on amphetamines, was sold to amateurs by the Belgian Freddy Sergeant, a masseur with 21 years' experience in the professional sport who received a four-year jail sentence in Bordeaux yesterday.
Condemned along with Sergeant in the Bordeaux trial were 20 others, including three former professional cyclists and the former assistant manager of the Ag2R team, who received suspended sentences and fines. Between them they sold 2,000 flasks of the drug in two years.
The message from both countries was the same - drugs in cycling means cash. The figures apparently earned by the Spanish network is hardly surprising when the details are borne in mind - some 50 cyclists have been named as clients and they were paying consultancy fees and a percentage of the prize-money, which were recorded in a diary.
As more details of Operation Puerto were leaked to the press, it was also revealed that among the clients of the ring was the last man to win the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same year, Marco Pantani, who died from an overdose of cocaine in 2004.
Pantani's reputation has been rubbished since his death. According to the leak, during the season before his death he was provided with EPO, growth hormone and steroids.
In the current climate it is hardly surprising that sponsors are leaving the sport - the German tool company Wurth will no longer back Alexandre Vinokourov's Astana squad after their exclusion from the Tour.
T-Mobile, on the other hand, has confirmed it will back its team for two more years, but it was on the defensive yesterday. Three of their riders have been ordered to stop working with Lance Armstrong's former trainer, the controversial Italian Michele Ferrari.
As far as the racing went, the sprinters flirted with catastrophe as usual after a spate of late attacks in the blazing sun and the traditional mass pile-up as the race entered the hills of Luxembourg. Thor Hushovd, sporting a bandage on his right arm, finished third behind the stage winner Robbie McEwen of Australia, who took the ninth Tour stage of his career. The Norwegian regained the yellow jersey thanks to sprint bonuses but not without another scare.
McEwen veered off his line in the finish straight forcing Hushovd to his left.
As he fought to keep balance his shoe unclipped from his pedal and he spent the final few metres with his toes wiggling in the air and one arm pointing accusingly at the Australian. The French press call the first week the waltz of the sprinters. This was the Bolshoi ballet on bikes.
Guardian Service
STAGE TWO
(Obernai to Esch-sur-Alzette, 228.5km)
1 R McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto 5hours 36mins 14 secs, 2 T Boonen (Bel) Quick Step, 3 T Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole, 4 OF Gomez (Spa) Rabobank, 5 D Bennati (Ita) Lampre, 6 L Paolini (Ita) Liquigas-Bianchi, 7 S O'Grady (Aus) CSC, 8 B Eisel (Aus) Française des jeux, 9 E Zabel (Ger) Milram, 10 P Wrolich (AUT) Gerolsteiner, 11 C Moreni (Ita) Cofidis, 12 I Isasi (Spa) Euskaltel, 13 M Albasini (Sui) Liquigas-Bianchi, 14 FJ Ventoso (Spa) Saunier Duval, 15 P Gilbert (Bel) Française des jeux.
LEADING OVERALL POSITIONS: 1 T Hushovd (Nor) Crédit Agricole 9hours 54mins 19secs, 2 T Boonen (Bel) Quick-Step-Innergetic at 0.05, 3 R McEwen (Aus) Davitamon-Lotto at 0.08, 4 G Hincapie (US) Discovery Channel at 0.10, 5 D Zabriskie (US) Team CSC at 0.16, 6 S Lang (Ger) Gerolsteiner, 8 S O'Grady (Aus) Team CSC at 0.16, 9 M Rogers (Aus) T-Mobile at 0.18, 10 P Savoldelli (Ita) Discovery Channel at 0.20, 11 F Landis (US) Phonak at 0.21, 12 B Vaugrenard (Fra) Francaise Des Jeux at 0.21, 13 V Karpets (Rus) Caisse d'Epargne-Illes Balears at 0.22, 14 S Gonchar (Ukr) T-Mobile at 0.22, 15 M Quinziato (Ita) Liquigas at 0.24.
Team classification: 1. Discovery Channel 29:43:58; 2. Team CSC +1; 3. T-Mobile +7; 4. Caisse d'Epargne 5. Phonak +14; 6. Gerolsteiner +18; 7. Davitamon - Lotto +31; 8. Credit Agricole 9. Liquigas +32; 10. AG2R.
Points classification: 1. R McEwen (Aus/Davitamon - Lotto) 65; 2. T Hushovd (Nor/Credit Agricole) 62; 3. T Boonen (Bel/Quick-Step) 49; 4. D Bennati (Ita/Lampre) 46; 5. S O'Grady (Aus/Team CSC) 43.
Mountain classification: 1. D De la Fuente (Spa/Saunier Duval) 14; 2. F Wegmann (Ger/Gerolsteiner) 12; 3. A Hernandez (Spa/Euskaltel) 10; 4. J Pineau (Fra/Bouygues Telecom ) 3; 5. M Sprick (Fra/Bouygues Telecom) 2.
