W52-FC Porto has given up its intention to register as a continental team for next season, in a letter to the president of the Portuguese Cycling Federation (FPC) to whom Lusa had access.
“Adriano Teixeira de Sousa, in his capacity as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Calvário Várzea Clube de Ciclismo (Quintanilha) Association after pending issues that have not been resolved by the relevant authorities, and on which a decision cannot be taken to determine and prevent the best benefit from cycling, I hereby request your Excellency Not to pursue the intention of forming the professional continental team W52-FC Porto 2023”, as stated in the letter sent to Delmino Pereira.
On October 5, a day after seven W52-FC Porto cyclists were suspended by Portugal’s Anti-Doping Authority (ADoP), the FPC revealed that it had postponed the decision on applying this structure to the continental team’s placement in 2023, after requesting “new data” from Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).
At the end of April, 10 W52-FC Porto riders were indicted and the team’s sporting director, Nuno Ribeiro, as well as his deputy, Jose Rodriguez, were arrested during the “Clean Test” operation, responsible for the Department of Criminal Investigation and Procedure (DIAP) of Porto.
In the police operation, “various medical materials and tools were seized, which were used in the training of athletes, and had an effect on their sports performance,” and then the judicial police were detailed.
Joao Rodriguez, winner of the 2019 Vuelta o Algarve and 2021 Volta o Algarve, was the cyclist who received the biggest penalty: The 27-year-old from Algarve will spend seven years of suspension, four of which are imposed by the International Cycling Union, for anomalies in the biological passport, and three Another year by ADoP, due to “possession of a prohibited medium”.
Roy Finhas and Ricardo Mestre, winners of the Tour of Portugal in 2016 and 2011, respectively, have been sanctioned for three years for “possession of a prohibited substance and prohibited method”, the same reason raised by the ADoP for the suspension of the same period as Ricardo Villa, Daniel Mestre, Jose Neves and Samuel Cadera. .
Vinhas and Daniel Mestre, the points classification winner in the 2019 Tour, were penalized for possession of betamethasone (a corticosteroid), while Jose Neves, the 2021 national champion and Doro International Grand Prix winner this season, Ricardo Mestre and Ricardo Villala were in possession of the growth hormones.
Like Mistry and Vella, Samuel Kadera, who was the “leader” of the team on the road, had somatropin and growth hormone, as well as insulin.
ADoP reduced the suspension of the seven cyclists from four to three because they “confessed,” unlike with Johnny Brandao, Jose Gonçalves and Jorge Magalhães, as well as with four members of the team’s “crew,” including Nuno Ribeiro – all of whom were preventively suspended from ahead of that body — whose operations are still ongoing, according to a source linked to Operation Lusa.
Amaro Antunes, three-time Volta champion (2017, 2020 and 2021), is the only rider associated with W52-FC Porto during the unsuspended 2022 season, and even an agreement has been signed to represent next year’s team.
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