Cops raid hotel of Tour de France team Bahrain-Victorious amid investigation into doping allegations

Prosecutors in France have opened an investigation into doping allegations against the Bahrain-Victorious team which saw the their team hotel and bus raided on Wednesday, but no arrests have yet been made.

According to investigators in Marseilles, the probe was to determine whether the "acquisition, transport, possession, import of a prohibited substance or prohibited method for use by an athlete without medical justification" had taken place.

As many as 50 police officers are said to have taken part in a search which concluded at 2am local time on Thursday morning, with team members' rooms and their bus transport being searched for contraband. 

Bahrain-Victorious team manager Milan Erzen, though, was keen to downplay any significant to the police raid, describing it as "nothing special".

"We had a visit from the police. They asked for riders' training files, they checked the bus and that’s it," he told CyclingNews.com.

"They disturbed the riders for one hour and at the end, they said thank you. They didn’t tell us what was the reason of visit, but we will find this out today through lawyers."

In an official statement, the team said: "On the eve of stage 18 of Tour de France, Team Bahrain-Victorious were subject to an investigation by French Police. The team were monitored by a number of officers following their arrival after stage 17 to the team hotel in Pau.

"The investigation involved a search of riders’ rooms as part of the process. Despite being unaware of the investigation reasons, the team was also requested to provide all training files which were compiled and presented to the officers as requested."

Bahrain-Victorious were subject to anonymous doping allegations last month, understood to have come from the managers of rival cycling teams after they finished in second place in the Giro d’Italia and won three stages of the Criterium du Dauphine race in the French Alps.

They have won two stages so far in the Tour de France, with Matej Mohoric winning stage seven and Dylan Teuns taking first place at stage eight. 

"Following stage 17, we were greeted by several French police officers. We were not given a warrant to read through, but the team complied with all the officers’ requests," the team's technical director, Vladimir Miholjevic, said.

"We are committed to the highest level of professionalism and adherence to all regulatory requirements and will always be co-operating in a professional manner. The process impacted our riders' recovery and meal planning and as a professional team, the wellbeing of our team is a key priority."

Erzen also issued a stringent denial of any untoward activity within the Bahrain-Victorious ranks - and said that their anti-doping rules are just as stringent, if not more so, than their competitors.

"I don’t care what one sports director has to say. He can say whatever he wants.

"We’re doing our jobs and we’ve invested in this team, in our riders, coaches, training camps and nutrition. Everything. Sooner or later, results need to come," he said.

"I don’t need to explain to anybody. We have the same doping controls as other teams, maybe more, I don’t know. And if anyone comes to us for doping control we are always open about that."

The Tour de France has yet to comment on the police raid.