Ineos staff member exits Tour amid 2012 doping inquiry

Ineos Grenadiers have confirmed to the Guardian that head carer David Rozman has left the Tour de France after the International Testing Agency (ITA) launched an investigation into the Slovenian’s alleged 2012 contact with Mark Schmidt, the doctor at the centre of the Aderlass doping inquiry.

Rozman has worked for the team as a soigneur since 2011. Ineos told the Guardian that Rozman had been approached “informally” by the ITA in April but that he was not under investigation at the time.

“Following recent media allegations, David Rozman has now received a request from the ITA to attend an interview. Accordingly, he has stepped back from race duties and has left the Tour,” the Ineos statement said.

“David Rozman was informally contacted in April 2025 by a member of ITA staff, who asked him about alleged historical communications. David immediately notified the team of his meeting with the ITA and his recollection of the contents of the meeting. Although the ITA assured David at the time that he was not under investigation, Ineos promptly commissioned a thorough review by an external law firm.”

'In the Slipstream,' a documentary broadcast on German station ARD last month, brought to light text messages exchanged between Rozman and Schmidt during the 2012 Tour de France, in which Team Sky (now Ineos) placed first and second through Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.

ARD did not name Rozman, though they did approach him for an interview on the final day of this year’s Giro d’Italia in Rome. Rozman was later named in an article published in Ireland by the Sunday Independent, but Ineos confirmed to Domestique last week that he was working for the team on this year’s Tour.

On Thursday, however, Ineos told the Guardian that Rozman was now no longer on the race, though they insisted that having him continue to work for the team despite the allegations was in keeping with its so-called “zero-tolerance policy.”

“The team has acted responsibly and with due process, taking the allegations seriously whilst acknowledging that David is a long-standing, dedicated member of the team. The team continues to assess the circumstances and any relevant developments, and has formally requested any relevant information from the ITA,” Ineos said.

“To date the team has received no evidence from any relevant authority. In response to the team’s request for information, the ITA has advised the team that it cannot share any further information, due to legal and confidentiality restrictions. Both David and the team will of course co-operate with the ITA and any other authority. The team reiterates its zero-tolerance policy and is unable to comment further at this time.”

It has been claimed by ARD that Rozman contacted Schmidt in June 2012 and he also invited Schmidt for a beer on the night before Chris Froome took stage victory at La Planche des Belles Filles on that year’s Tour.

Schmidt was arrested in early 2019 and accused of operating a blood doping ring for cyclists and skiers since 2011. He was later sentenced to almost five years in prison. 

The trial listed a series of cover names used by Schmidt for his clients. To date, only six cyclists have received doping bans due to their implication in Operation Aderlass: Kristijan Koren, Borut Bozic, Stefan Denifl, Georg Preidler, Danilo Hondo and Alessandro Petacchi.

Ineos management – including Dave Brailsford, who managed Team Sky on the 2012 Tour – have declined to answer questions about Rozman during this Tour. The team’s stage winner Thymen Arensman was asked about their silence in the press conference following his win at Superbagnères. “If you’re trying to ask the management, then it’s weird that they don't really answer you,” he said.