Quick-Steps manager, Patrick Lefevre, has been quoted as supporting Bjarne Riis in the ongoing doping controversy, according to the Danish newspaper BT. Danish media have been harsh on Riis, saying that it is inconceivable that Basso could be doping without Riis knowing about it. Not so, according to Lefevre.

“I have had a similar case myself,” Lefevre says. “Johann Museuw was not just my rider, but also my friend for many, many years. We were always together. And it hit me like a bomb when it was revealed that he was involved with doping. I had no suspicion.

“Riis is not mentioned in the report [from Operation Puerto], and we believe in him,” Lefevre says.