Zaballa distressed about LA-MSS drug raid

Spanish rider Constantino Zaballa, who rides for the Portuguese LA-MSS squad, is distressed about the recent drug raid at the team's headquarters, about one week ago. So far, there was no word from the officials about the outcome and Zaballa is concerned about "the damage done to the team in general and to me in particular." Zaballa decided to publish a statement because "even though the PJ [Judicial Police - ed.]has still not released identities; there are baseless accusations against me and other team-mates."

Zaballa wanted to make clear that "according to my directeur sportif, Manuel Zeferino, neither medication nor banned substances were found in the search of the headquarters. What could have been found in the houses of some riders, I have no information. All I know is that there was a leak in the media." He continued to say that there is no "formal complaint against me from the judicial or federal parties against me."

Zaballa emphasised that "being part of the LA-MSS Póvoa team, I can assure that I never participated in any kind of doping practice." He also refuted any kind of involvement in Operación Puerto. "It has been two years since, and based on being neither accused nor sanctioned, I feel I have been abandoned by the federation and lynched by the press. I have suffered tremendous damage, both in my sports and economical career. Above all, and even though many doors have closed for me, I have worked intensively and with illusion to return to be a cyclist," Zaballa indicated he was not happy with the latest news.

He closed the statement by reiterating that "I have nothing to do with any kind of doping practice." He attributed his recent successes in the last couple of weeks solely to the work he is putting in in training and concluded that "I reserve the right to take legal actions against those media and persons that made accusations, which could threaten my dignity and my honour.