The focus of the Tour de France press room has shifted from current athletes to historical doping scandals in cycling. The narrative centers around Austrian skier Johannes Dür’s 2019 whistleblowing on physician Mark Schmidt, who ran a systematic blood doping ring. Schmidt's previous connections to cycling teams like Milram and Gerolsteiner link the past to present controversies. He was convicted in 2021 after an investigation revealed 22 athletes involved, including notable cyclists. The involvement of current cycling team management illustrates the ongoing challenges of ensuring a clean sport.
Fifteen stages and two rest days into the Tour de France, the talk of the press room is not Tadej Pogacar rampaging towards his fourth yellow jersey.
The story begins in Feb. 2019, when Austrian cross-country skier Johannes Dür blew the whistle on a German physician named Mark Schmidt, accusing the latter of running a systematic blood doping ring.
Cops investigated, and Schmidt was convicted and given a four-year, 10-month sentence in Jan. 2021. The list of associated athletes grew to 22, with several prominent former cyclists either confessing or being implicated.
A German outlet reported that the managing director of the Bahrain-Mérida team, Milan Erzen, had asked Schmidt for help setting up some blood doping for his team.
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