Ineos staff member leaves Tour amid doping investigation

After being asked to speak with the International Testing Agency about allegations of doping in connection with the 2012 season, an Ineos Grenadiers employee left the Tour de France.

One of the team’s soigneurs is David Rozman, who provides a range of services from logistics to massages.

The team went on to win six of the following seven Tour de Frances under the name Ineos Grenadiers, who was then known as Team Sky. Bradley Wiggins won the race in 2012, taking the title of the winning team.

After initially getting in touch with Rozman in April, Ineos Grenadiers confirmed that the ITA had requested an interview.

According to Ineos Grenadiers, “David] Rosenadiers] has now received a request from the ITA to attend an interview.”

He has left the Tour and has, in theory, stepped down from his racing duties.

A member of the ITA staff in April 2025 emailed Rozman with inquiries about alleged historical communications.

“Ineos requested a thorough review by an external law firm, despite the ITA’s assurance at the time that David was not being investigated.

The team has handled the allegations with due diligence, while also acknowledging that David has a long-standing, dedicated team member.

The team has formally requested any pertinent information from the ITA and continues to assess the circumstances and any pertinent developments. No relevant authority has provided any evidence to date, so the team has received no evidence.

“Both David and the team will, of course, work with the ITA and any other authority.”

According to a report from the Irish Independent in July, Rozman and German doping convicted felon Mark Schmidt exchanged messages in 2012.

Ineos and Schmidt were linked in part to a documentary produced by the German TV company ARD, which did not identify the staff member.

After being found guilty of providing illegal blood transfusions to athletes in cycling and a number of other sports as part of Operation Aderlass, Schmidt was sentenced to four years and 10 months in prison in 2021.

The ITA stated in a letter to BBC Sport that its inquiries are “discussed confidentially” and that results may only be disclosed if and when one or more anti-doping rule violations are discovered.