Orica-GreenEdge expresses support of Weening

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The Orica-GreenEdge squad announced today its support of team member Pieter Weening, who has been accused of doping at the 2007 Tour de France by then-Rabobank teammate Michael Rasmussen in the Dane's forthcoming autobiography.

"Orica-GreenEdge is aware that Pieter Weening has made himself fully available to the Dutch NADO for their ongoing, comprehensive investigations into doping of Dutch cyclists," said the team in a statement. "The team has received documentation that based on information the Dutch NADO have - including in relation to Michael Rasmussen's allegations of 2007 - they have not opened any doping inquiry against Pieter Weening and do not posses any sort of evidence or testimony to do so.

"Pieter Weening has been fully collaborative in relation to this and Orica-GreenEdge would like to express its full support in him going onwards."

Rasmussen had stated that all members of Rabobank's 2007 Tour de France team had used doping products. "Within the Rabobank team: 100% [used doping products]. Not everyone took the same products, but all riders were on some form of doping provided by the team," Rasmussen said.

In addition to Weening and Rasmussen, Rabobank's Tour roster in 2007 included Michael Boogerd, Bram de Groot, Thomas Dekker, Juan Antonio Flecha, Oscar Freire, Dennis Menchov and Grischa Niermann.

Since Rasmussen made his initial blanket statement regarding his Rabobank teammates, he's retracted his allegations against Spaniards Oscar Freire and Juan Antonio Flecha, stating he never actually saw them dope. Freire had demanded a public apology and threatened legal action.

Weening and the rest of the Orica-GreenEdge roster were required to disclose any past doping activities to the team during an external review done by Nicki Vance. Weening raced for Rabobank for eight seasons from 2004-2011 before joining Orica-GreenEdge in 2012. A stage win in the 2005 Tour de France was his only major victory until the 2011 Giro d'Italia, when he won stage 5 and wore the race leader's maglia rosa for four stages. He won the Tour de Pologne this year.