The appeal by Valverde to the Swiss high courts, based on 'illegal and predetermined' ruling by CAS in May, has been turned down. The courts judged that the DNA-material was the same as found in an 'Operación Puerto' blood bag as sufficient evidence to uphold the CAS ruling. That seems to close the last remaining Fuentes-case. Valverde will remain suspended from cycling until January 1st 2012.

"Cycling can't afford to miss a rider like Valverde" Eusebio Unzue, manager of Caisse d'Epargne, stated last September. In a certain way the team leader is right. As a matter of fact, Alejandro Valverde has never been proven guilty of doping, despite the increased testing by WADA since the revelation of the Fuentes-case, and would have still been riding clean today if not for the Italian CONI investigation.

But DNA doesn't lie, and proves the intent to use enhancing methods - in Valverde's case EPO and blood doping - in the near future. That doesn't mean that Valverde has actually been 'doping', but it does contradict the UCI ethical code stating that the intent alone is punishable and therefore just. The ruling still leaves questions unanswered, so we'll take you back a bit to 23rd of May 2006.

That was the day that the Guardia Civil (Spanish police) raided the lab of Doctor Eufemanio Fuentes, the former Kelme team physician. The findings of the police implicated over 200 athletes being involved in the case, cyclists amongst others. One year later, fifteen riders are aquitted, three (Jörg Jacksche, Ivan Basso and Michele Scarponi) riders admit to having been part of the scandal and they are suspended. Tyler Hamilton was already suspended at that time, but later admitted to being part of the Fuentes-case as well.

Apart from the suspicion of other riders, some 160 other athletes remain unnamed until today. It is rumoured in France (Le Monde) that soccer players of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid are named in the subsequent report, and Sepp Blatter's FIFA requests WADA to make it available to them in a meeting held in Montréal, December 2006. The case has not been pursued since, nor for other sports disciplines or athletes.

Cycling as a sport is at a big disadvantage therefore and made to look like 'the bad boy in sports', and the verdict for Valverde - just or not - is an extra bitter pill to swallow. The Fuentes-case tasted bad anyway, like it has only been used to 'get the cyclists', whereas it should have been used to find the truth about all doping practices and the sports persons (that were) affiliated. In that context it is a real pity that we have to miss Valverde's brilliant attacking riding style for more than a year.

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Links: Alejandro Valverde Belmonte