According to Luigi Perna of Gazzetta del Sport, Ivan Basso may well continue his career at Team Milram if he should be acquitted from the doping charges against him. According to the journalist, Milram has been in contact with Basso since the Tour de France, and with the new requirements from Riis that Basso must prove his innocence, Perna believes that Basso will leave CSC and move to Milram. He says that Basso and Riis have not met after the Tour, as was originally planned, and he also doubts that Basso and Riis have spoken together very much since then.

“I spoke with him last week,” Riis comments the story. “I told him that there must not be any doubt about whether he has had contact with the doctor. He answered that he understands my view of the case, and that it is his intent to prove this. But how he will do that, I don’t know. All I know is that he has a problem, and it certainly is not my problem to prove anything in this situation.”

Riis says that the Operation Puerto case is the worst thing to have occured to him. “It has been hard for me personally. I have considered, very seriously, whether I still want to continue with this anymore. But I have told myself often, that if you have the ability [i.e. something to give], you also have the duty. I still feel I have something to give.”