Report: Investigators probing whether British Cycling doctor ordered testosterone patches
A story claims there could be evidence that suggests the patches were ordered, not sent in error.
Heading out the door? Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! Download the app.
A new report alleges investigators in the United Kingdom may have discovered evidence that testosterone patches delivered to the headquarters of British Cycling and Team Sky were ordered, not sent in error as originally claimed.
The Daily Mail published a story Friday regarding the ongoing General Medical Council investigation into Dr. Richard Freeman, who formerly served as a doctor for Sky and British Cycling.
The report claims that investigators could have evidence that Freeman ordered the banned substance, in the form of a box of patches, in 2011 and had it shipped to the National Cycling Centre in Manchester, England.
It was reported last year that Freeman said the patches were sent in error and that he did not order them. Dr. Steve Peters, an employee at British Cycling, opened the box and confronted Freeman about it, who said the delivery was a mistake.
The box was purportedly returned to the sender, identified by The Daily Mail as Fit 4 Sport Ltd.
Freeman claimed a receipt exists that shows the box was sent back and that Fit 4 Sport Ltd received the return. It’s not clear if investigators have seen that documentation.
Sky has also come under fire for a mysterious jiffy bag delivery for Bradley Wiggins at the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné that may have contained an asthma drug. Sky and Wiggins denied any wrongdoing, and a U.K. Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) case on the matter was closed last fall. The incident is still full of questions, however.
Sky’s leader Chris Froome, a four-time winner of the Tour de France, is currently under investigation after an anti-doping test at the Vuelta a España last year showed he had double the allowed limit of an asthma drug in his system. He was not provisionally suspended and has vowed to continue racing while the investigation takes place.