Marc Soler linked to suspended doping doctor

Striking news from Spain: Marc Soler has been linked by the Spanish Ciclo 21 to the banned doping doctor Pepe Martí. A meeting is said to have taken place between Soler, his father Jaume, and Martí.

Pepe Martí received a fifteen-year ban in 2012 due to his involvement in the doping scandal surrounding Lance Armstrong and his US Postal team. The three are reported to have met in August 2023 in Adrall, Catalonia, near the Spanish-Andorran border. Martí and Jaume Soler drove to the meeting point together, but were stopped at a checkpoint set up by the Guardia Civil after CELAD, the Spanish anti-doping agency, had been monitoring Martí for some time. Equipment for conducting a lactate test was found in the van.

Jaume Soler then stated that Martí was coaching him as a master triathlete and cyclist, and that the equipment was for a test he would undergo later, although they did not have any sports clothes with them. While the van was still stationary at the checkpoint, Marc Soler rode past in the opposite direction, bypassing the checkpoint. Upon seeing the van, he turned around and repeated this three times. Eventually, the officers let Jaume Soler and Martí go but continued to follow them. The van then caught up with Marc Soler, and the three stopped by the side of the road where they met each other.

Conflicting Statements
After a brief meeting, the three went their separate ways, but Marc Soler was shortly thereafter stopped by the Guardia Civil. The rider stated that he had an appointment with his father, who was to give him a blood glucose meter. This contradicts the statement Jaume Soler gave to the Guardia Civil in November of the same year, in which he said he intended to give his son a fuel cap and backpack. Marc Soler confirmed this statement, although these items were not found at the checkpoint.

Jaume Soler admitted that he was being coached by Martí, who was later banned for eighteen months, but claimed he had cut ties with the doctor after the August incident. Marc Soler denied any connection with Martí and said he was not going to undergo a lactate test that day.

Consequences
The potential consequences for Marc Soler are still unclear. If it can be proven that he cooperated with Martí, he faces a possible four-year suspension. At the same time, Ciclo 21 acknowledges that there is currently no direct evidence against Soler. According to the Spanish outlet, the case is still with CELAD, but changes in the leadership of the agency have caused significant delays in decisions.