Doctor Geert Leinders sold me EPO, Levi Leipheimer
Team Rabobank ended its 16 year old associations with the Dutch professional cycling side, Team Rabobank after the USADA investigation into Lance Armstrong that involved several cyclists including a few from Team Rabobank.
The latest statement by Levi Leipheimer, former American cyclist who confessed doping himself and received a reduced six-month ban for helping USADA, has started the debate once again after Leipheimer accused former Team Rabobank Doctor, Geert Leinders of
playing a central role in doping.
He told Dutch media that Leinders was a key player in the doping game during his time with Team Rabobank and Leipheimer also noted that he has mentioned doctor Leinders in a statement made to USADA earlier.
As many as 26 confessed doping helping USADA in constructing a stronger case against Armstrong and were given a reduced ban.
Leipheimer was amongst the 11 out of the 26 cyclists that were Armstrong’s former teammates at the American side, Team USPS.
Other ten include, Frankie Andreu, Michael Barry, Tom Danielson, Tyler Hamilton, George Hincapie, Floyd Landis, Stephen Swart, Christian Vande Velde, Jonathan Vaughters and David Zabriskie.
The outburst of Armstrong’ doping cartel changed a lot of things around the sport of cycling and exit of Rabobank from the title sponsorship of the World Tour side, Team Rabobank was the biggest.
Bert Bruggink, member of team’s Managing Board explained, "It is with pain in our heart, but for the bank this is an inevitable decision. We are no longer convinced that the international professional world of cycling can make this a clean and fair sport.
We are not confident that this will change for the better in the foreseeable future".
He further added, "Cycling is a beautiful sport, which millions of Dutch people enjoy and a large number of those Dutch people are clients of Rabobank. But our decision stands: we are pulling out of professional cycling. It is painful".
The Dutch website nrc.nl claims that it has seen the uncensored version of Leipheimer’s affidavit, he submitted to USADA in which he claimed to have used EPO during 2002, 2003 and 2004 under the watchful eye of Geert Leinders who actually sold him the drug.
The Doctor however, denied all the allegations, he was hired by Team Sky in 2012 but the British team has not renewed his contract after fingers were raised related to his tenure in Team Rabobank.
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