INEOS Grenadiers has sent David Rozman, the long-serving head soigneur, home from the Tour de France. The British WorldTeam made this decision after the International Testing Agency (ITA) launched an investigation into alleged messages Rozman exchanged in 2012 with the later-convicted German doping doctor Mark Schmidt. This was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian.
Rozman was linked to Schmidt in a recent documentary by the German broadcaster ARD, although his name was not mentioned. In 2012, Rozman was working at the Tour with Team Sky, the predecessor of INEOS Grenadiers, which at the time dominated the sport with Bradley Wiggins, Chris Froome, and Mark Cavendish. The ITA initially approached Rozman 'informally', without telling him he was under investigation.
INEOS Grenadiers responded to the situation to The Guardian. “Following recent allegations in the media, David Rozman has now received a request from the ITA to attend an interview. As a result, he has withdrawn from his duties and left the Tour.”
“David was first informally approached in April by an ITA official, who asked him about alleged historic communications,” the British team continued. “David immediately informed the team about his meeting with the ITA and his recollection of the conversation. Although the ITA assured David at the time that no investigation was ongoing against him, INEOS immediately commissioned an investigation by an external law firm.”
“To date, the team has not received any evidence from any relevant authority. In response to the team’s request for information, the ITA has informed the team that, due to legal and confidentiality restrictions, it cannot share further information. Both David and the team will, of course, cooperate with the ITA and any other authority. The team reiterates its zero-tolerance policy and is currently unable to comment further,” the team concluded in an initial statement.
