After Michael Rasmussen's allegations that Pieter Weening doped during the 2007 Tour de France, Orica-GreenEDGE has sent out a statement and expressed its full support in their Dutch rider. The Australian team has received information that the Dutch anti-doping authorities have not opened a case against Weening and do not possess any sort of evidence to do so.
Last Sunday, Michael Rasmussen participated in a chat after an interview with Danish broadcaster DR and was asked how many riders in the peloton were doped when he rode the 2007 Tour de France. While he refused to answer the question, he claimed that the entire 9-rider Rabobank team was doping.
One of the riders who rode that year's edition of the world's biggest bike race in support of Rasmussen was Pieter Weening. The Dutchman is still an active rider and yesterday his Orica-GreenEDGE team asked him to confirm the anti-doping statement he had previously signed to confirm that he had not been involved in any illegal practices in the past.
Rasmussen's allegations may have been aired in a chat but the Dane has given detailed - and so undisclosed - testimony to several national anti-doping authorities. The Dutch are among those to have received testimony from Rasmussen and so he could potentially have made more damning accusations against Weening.
Today Orica-GreenEDGE has sent out a statement in which they express full support in Weening. Furthermore, they have been in talks with the Dutch authorities and have been affirmed that they don't have sufficient evidence to open a case against Weening.
"ORICA-GreenEDGE is aware that Pieter Weening has made himself fully available to the Dutch NADO for their ongoing, comprehensive investigations into doping of Dutch cyclists. The team has received documentation that based on information the Dutch NADO have - including in relation to Michael Rasmussen's allegations of 2007- they have not opened any doping inquiry against Pieter Weening and do not posses any sort of evidence or testimony to do so. Pieter Weening has been fully collaborative in relation to this and ORICA-GreenEDGE would like to express its full support in him going onwards," the statement reads.
Weening has refused all allegations in an interview with De Telegraaf, claiming that Rasmussen is frustrated by his lost court case against Rabobank.
Yesterday Rasmussen was forced to retract his claims that Juan Antonio Flecha and Oscar Freire who were both also part of the 2007 Tour team, had doped.
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