Xacobeo releases team doctor with Liberty Seguros ties

Team Xacobeo-Galicia released one of its team doctors, Alberto Beltrán. He previously worked with team Liberty Seguros, a team which had three of its riders test positive for blood booster Erythropoietin (EPO) yesterday.

Beltrán was a team doctor at Liberty Seguros until this summer. Xacobeo hired him September 2 because it was short of team doctors at the Vuelta a España. With the International Cycling Union's permission, it hired Beltrán and he started when the Vuelta transferred to Spain for stage five.

Xacobeo terminated its contract with Beltrán immediately after hearing about the three positives at Liberty Seguros. It was "simple preventative measure and without making any value judgements," said the team.

The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced yesterday that Nuno Ribeiro, Isidro Nozal and Hector Guerra tested positive for third generation EPO, CERA. The riders have the right to request counter-analysis for confirmation.

"I am innocent and I have never doped," Guerra, 31, said yesterday. The three riders' positive controls came from the Volta a Portugal, which Ribeiro won.

UCI anti-doping controllers tested the riders two days before the race started, August 3. "I have nothing to hide from them or anyone else, since I have never needed to take a banned product," continued Guerra.

The positive control also spelt the end for Guerra's planned appearance at the World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland, next week. Spain removed him from the time trial team and nominated Juan José Cobo (Fuji-Servetto), who won yesterday's Vuelta a España stage 19.