Yvan Van Mol, Quick Step’s back seat driver?
La Gazzetta Dello Sport quotes Ricardo Ricco’s agent as saying the move to Quick Step was thwarted by two people, rider Jerome Pineau and team doctor Yvan Van Mol.
Pineau had already made his thoughts known via the media. But apparently Van Mol didn’t want Ricco, although only because the doctor believed the rider wouldn’t respect the team, he “didn’t love the jersey”. It’s odd to see the team doctor getting involved, especially when it comes to deciding which riders will fit it the team. You’d think a doctor would ask questions about physical abilities and blood parameters. Yet what’s interesting is that, according to the agent at least, Quick Step had never even asked for Ricco’s medical dossier and bio passport information.
I don’t know about you but I wouldn’t buy a car without a service logbook, I wouldn’t buy a house without a survey and I certainly wouldn’t spend thousands of Euros signing a rider without reviewing his medical dossier, especially if the rider had “boasted” about constant doping since his teenage years.
Take your pick
Is Quick Step a slapdash team willing to sign riders without a thought for their medical data, where a team doctor can veto recruitment decisions based on thoughts about team work? Or did something else happen behind the scenes that made the doctor say no and the team as a whole walk away from Ricco?
I would agree with your second option… something else happened. It would be my thought if Quick Step did not ask for medical data, it wasn't serious about signing him. After all, it didn't take them long to come out with the public denials.
Quickstep team manager Lefevere said they didn't contact Rico, but instead claimed that Ricco was offered to them by his manager. But, so he tells sporza, Ricco wanted to announce a done deal quickly, while quickstep wanted to hold on to standard hiring procedure. Therefore, they claim, they hadn't even started the necessary procedures when Ricco instead anounced the vacansoleil deal.
This story does seem believable and would explain why didn't look in his medical records yet. They hadn't even decided if they really wanted him or not, according to them.
Source: http://www.sporza.be/cm/sporza/wielrennen/100818_Lefevere_over_Ricco