Bahrain Victorious confirmed that the homes of a number of riders and team staff were searched by police prior to their departure for the Tour de France.

The team indicated that the searches were part of an ongoing police investigation in which team members were searched during the 2021 Tour de France.

The team brushed off suggestions last October that hair tests on three riders searched by French police during the Tour de France had revealed traces of the powerful muscle relaxant tizanidine.

According to a statement from the Marseille Public Prosecutor's Office at the time of the search, the investigation was related to the possibility that "members of Team Bahrain Victorious obtained, transported, possessed or imported prohibited drugs or prohibited methods for use by athletes without justification."

The Spanish website Ciclo21 (opens in new tab) suggested that the Organization for Police Cooperation of the European Union (Europol) has coordinated searches of the homes of team staff from Slovenia, Poland, and Spain, including team manager Milan Erzen.

Elsen's cell phone was turned off and he was not available to Cycling News.

The Bahrain Victorias competing in this year's Tour de France include Damiano Caruso, Jack Haig, Matej Mohoric, Luis Leon Sanchez, Dylan Tuns, Jan Tratnik, Fred Wright, and Kamil Gradec. The names are. It is not clear whether their homes were searched.

Last October, the team brushed off suggestions that hair tests on three riders searched by French police during the Tour revealed traces of tizanidine, a powerful muscle relaxant.

Although this substance is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, the test results could indicate off-label use of the drug.

Sonny Colbrelli suggested that the tests conducted at the 2021 Tour were motivated by "pure jealousy," suggesting that the atmosphere of suspicion in the sport makes people suspicious of every good result.

Mohoric won two stages of the 2021 Tour de France, symbolically silencing his team's critics by placing a finger to his lips as he crossed the Le Creusot line.

"It's a little strange that in 2021 people still believe we are doing something illegal," Mohoric said.

As the 2022 Tour de France Grande Pearl approached, the investigation took a new step, but Bahrain Victorious claimed that the search was intentionally conducted to discredit the team.

"Some riders and staff of Team Bahrain Victorious were raided by police today before their departure for the Tour de France," the Bahrain Victorious team said in a statement.

"Team Bahrain Victorious has always operated according to the highest standards of professionalism in sport, including the integrity of all professional members and competitors. The team cooperates constructively in all proceedings and with all competent authorities.

"The investigation into the team members, which began almost a year ago and yielded no results, has continued until just before the start of the most important cycling race, the Tour de France, damaging the reputation of the individuals and Team Bahrain Victorious. Due to the recent investigation, the team feels that the timing of this investigation is deliberately intended to damage the team's reputation."

"The team has never, to date, been informed or received feedback from the Marseille Prosecutor's Office on the progress or results of the investigation. Bahrain Victorious has repeatedly requested access to the files and to know the status of the investigation, without success."

Last October, French researchers revealed details of the tizanidine hair test they created in a document published in the Wiley Analytical Science Journal.

Investigative documents seen by Cycling News state, "During a three-week international cycling race in France, a special public health unit of the police managed the entire team. In addition to police control of the rooms, medical equipment and products, trained forensic pathologists were requested to take head hair samples from seven cyclists."

The team rebelled against the work of the Marseille police and continued to do so after the latest search.

"Furthermore, shortly after the search was conducted, investigators improperly provided information about the seized items, on the basis of which an article was published in a professional medical journal," the team's lengthy statement said.

"The professional journal stated that the team did not possess any illegal substances. Nevertheless, given the information circulating in the media about the French authorities' investigation, these actions by the investigators raise questions about the credibility of the investigation. In contrast, the team has received no feedback.

." After almost a year of unsuccessful team efforts to obtain additional information, the investigators decided on a new investigation just days before the start of the most important bike race." This undoubtedly casts a shadow of doubt on the purpose of the investigation.