The Astana Qazaqstan team announced late on Monday that they have severed their contract with Colombian rider Miguel Angel López after receiving new information about his ties to Dr Marcos Maynar Mariño, however the rider was quick to reject this saying in a statement that there were no new facts that could justify such a decision.
Maynar was arrested in May, charged with a crime against public health, drug trafficking and money laundering. The team statement said new elements it discovered had shown that López had a “probable connection with Dr Marcos Maynar".
"Accordingly, the team had no other solution than to end the contract between team and rider, based on breaches of said contract and internal team rules, with immediate effect," said the Astana Qazaqstan statement.
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However, López said that there had not been any more relevant information revealed since his contract with the team was extended for the 2023 season in November of 2022.
“The rider hereby informs that he considers such decision as with no cause, and that there are no new facts which could justify such decision, not known or reported before November 2022 by Astana Team,” said a statement signed by López, which appears to have been prepared by his lawyers.
“The rider rejects any allegation that could damage his name and honor as professional rider, and reminds that he has never tested positive for any drugs or doping, nor has he been investigated by any authority,” said the statement released on López’ Twitter account.
“Mr. Miguel Angel Lopez hereby informs that he will defend his rights before the corresponding Courts, in a case which he understands as a clear case of abusive termination without just cause.”
The issues surrounding the rider and his place at Astana first arose earlier this year, with the team suspending López in July after reports emerged of alleged links between him and Maynar, which López, through his attorney, vigorously denied. "He flatly denies having any relationship or participation in any criminal act related to the distribution of unauthorised medicines or any other product referred to in the news published yesterday," the lawyer said at the time. The team "provisionally" reinstated him two weeks later.
Maynar who is a professor at the University of Extremadura, was arrested by authorities on May 11 and charged with a crime against public health, drug trafficking and money laundering. The Civil Guard searched his Physiology Laboratory in the Faculty of Sports Sciences. The case was referred to the Investigating Court number 4.
The arrest of Maynar comes amidst a doping investigation, Operacion Ilex, which is currently underway in Spain but a statement released by the Guardia Civil on the investigation did not name any of those under investigation. It began in January 2021 when the Guardia Civil began investigating a suspected doping ring near Cáceres in western Spain. Two people have been arrested and six individuals are under investigation.
Much like Operacion Puerto, the investigation uncovered coded messages and banned substances including Actovegin, Theophylline and Menotropin and identified customers in Portugal, Guipuzcoa in the Basque Country and Castellon in eastern Valencia.
