Frank Schleck Update

October 3rd, 2008 filed in Cycling

Frank Schleck has been suspended by his team after becoming associated with the Operacion Puerto doping scandal. Schleck wore the yellow jersey at the 2008 Tour de France, but following damaging allegations last week, his CSC team has decided to suspend him while awaiting further decisions by anti doping authorities. Just last week, team manager Bjarne Riis defended Frank Schleck, but now Riis has decided to suspend him. The suspension comes as a result of Schleck confirming claims that in 2006 he made a payment of nearly 7000 euros to a bank account belonging to Eufemiano Fuentes, a doctor at the center of the Operacion Puerto doping scandal.

On the admission that Schleck did transfer the money, the AFP reports :

The CSC team statement issued Friday said the 28-year-old Luxemburger admitted paying money into an account, but only to “receive training advice by experts”. It said he “never used or attempted use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method”.

“He (Schleck) deeply regrets having taken initial contact to these people and confirms towards his team and the Luxembourg Anti-doping committee that his involvement never went beyond the initial contact, i.e. the bank transfer. “He has never received, nor made use of any services from these people - including Eufemiamo Fuentes, whom he has never met. “He is fully prepared to give a sample of his DNA to relevant authorities to prove that he has not stored blood in Madrid or elsewhere in order to make use of illegal performance enhancing methods.”

On the suspension by Team CSC :

“For the moment, Frank has to concentrate fully on this case and we will await further information from both the Luxembourg Anti-doping committee and the UCI in order to make an assessment of our further actions in relation to this,” said team manager and owner Bjarne Riis.

“Together with Frank, we have made the decision that he doesn’t enter our race programme until we have had the chance to evaluate the outcome of this.”

He added: “We would like to express our sincere hope that Frank comes out of this case in a way that is acceptable to him and to the team and we will do our utmost to make the most reasonable and sound decisions for him and for the team.”

What do you think? Did Frank Schleck CHEAT, or BEAT?