Luttenberger denies blood centrifuge claims

Peter Luttenberger has denied claims from an anonymous source that he used a blood centrifuge to check his blood values. The Austrian said that he did not work with the team doctor Geert Leinders, who has been accused of helping riders with doping, and further, never had a roommate.

Nos.nl recently published a report by a former Rabobank rider, who chose to remain anonymous, claiming that whilst sharing a hotel room with Luttenberger, he saw Luttenberger using a blood centrifuge.

“I don't know who gave this interview, but those simply aren't the facts,” Luttenberger told De Telegraaf. “I was criticized by the leadership of the Rabobank team because I didn't want to work with Leinders. It was one of my conditions that I always slept alone in a hotel room. The team thought I was just too much of an outsider for them.”

Luttenberger rode for the Dutch team in 1997 and 1998.

The Dutch team, now known as Blanco Pro Cycling Team, has been hit by many doping allegations lately. The team is being sued by Michael Rasmussen for wrongful dismissal following his firing for whereabouts violations leading to his removal from the 2007 Tour de France. Levi Leipheimer, in his affidavit to the USADA in the Armstrong case, mentioned doping practices whilst at Rabobank.  Carlos Barredo, who just retired, is under investigation for violations of the blood-passport programme.

The blood doping charges against former team members, including Michael Boogerd, have also come up again within the last few weeks, with various anonymous sources talking to nos.nl about what they saw or experienced at the team in the 1990s and 2000s.