Pronunciation at Tour de France
Anger about the ARD report: German professional cyclist wants to talk
07/04/2023 2:18 p.m
ARD doping reporter Hajo Seppelt feels reminded of the “dark times” of the Tour de France after the German professional cyclist Phil Bauhaus refused an interview. His team Bahrain-Victorious was repeatedly the focus of investigations. A critical report is now to be followed by a debate.
The German professional cyclist Phil Bauhaus agreed to a clarifying conversation with the journalist Hajo Seppelt after boycotting his interview with ARD. “We have the same interests – a clean sport,” wrote Sprinter Bauhaus in a dialogue with Seppelt on Twitter. After his second place on the third stage of the Tour de France, Bauhaus had refused to give interviews to ARD journalists. The team spokesman referred to a broadcaster post about alleged doping connections from the Bahrain-Victorious team and for which Bauhaus had also been asked questions.
At the start of the tour, the ARD doping editorial team published an inventory of cycling and, among other things, critically examined the Bauhaus team Bahrain Victorious. “I remember the dark days of the tour well, when well-paid professional cyclists reacted similarly when journalists just did their job,” Seppelt wrote on Twitter. Bauhaus replied: “Because other athletes have reacted in a similar way in the past and then interpreting it to mean that I react in exactly the same way for reasons of doping, I don’t think it’s ok either. I don’t take anyone’s hand on fire, I can only do it for myself speak in person.”
At the initiative of the sprinter, there should now be a dialogue. “I find the report at the start of the tour unfortunate,” wrote the 28-year-old and explained his view of things: “As a German cyclist, you are in focus for three weeks a year. I think that the impression can quickly arise that everyone in Bahrain, including me, is all doped anyway. I think that’s a shame.” Bauhaus is running the tour for the first time this year.
The team from the Kingdom of Bahrain had repeatedly made negative headlines in the recent past. During the last Tour of France, shortly before the Grand Départ in Copenhagen, there were raids on 14 Bahrain team members in six countries, including in the team hotel. The year before, there had been a search at the team hotel in Pau as part of the Pyrenees stages.
Team boss Milan Erzen had already been observed by the world association UCI in the past for alleged connections to “Operation Bloodletting”. In both cases, the raids had no consequences for the racing team. Europol ended its investigation last fall. The case is now in the hands of French authorities, with the public prosecutor’s office in Marseille in charge.