Roberto Heras

Roberto Heras Hernández ( born 1 February 1974 in Béjar ) is a former Spanish professional road bicycle racer.

Career

The 1997 as a professional cyclist driving force and an excellent climber Roberto Heras won 18 victories. He began his career with the Spanish team Kelme, for which he won, among others, four stages in the Vuelta a España until 2000. In 2000 he took his first overall victory there also. At the Tour de France 2000 Heras drew attention to himself when he was fifth overall.

In 2001, Heras to the U.S. Postal Service by Lance Armstrong, for which he drove until 2003. At the Tour de France he became the most important " precious helpers" for Armstrong, whom he accompanied usually until shortly before the summit of the tour. In the Vuelta Heras was allowed to drive on their own account and placed itself remains forward: 2001 and fourth in 2002 as a runner-up. In 2003, he won the overall standings and won it three stage wins.

From 2004 Roberto Heras drove for the Spanish team Liberty Seguros. In the 2004 Tour de France he was his role as one of the favorites for the overall victory not meet and had to abandon the race in the 17th stage. But his defeat at the Tour de France, he made an overall victory in the Vuelta in the same year offset. The season 2005 was for Heras initially similar: After another weak 2005 Tour de France he reached at the Vuelta a third win in a row and his fourth Vueltasieg total.

Doping scandal

A few weeks after the victory in the Vuelta in 2005 it turned out that Heras on the penultimate stage positive effect on the blood doping agent EPO ( erythropoietin ) was tested. The Vuelta victory was denied him then and subsequently awarded the Russian Denis Menshov. Heras was punished by the Spanish cycling federation with a two-year doping suspension and suspended by his team Liberty Seguros. The barrier meant the End of career for Heras, because the Code of Ethics of the ProTour teams requires that a driver convicted of doping for four years may no longer be required.

In June 2011, a Spanish court found that the lock and the sanctions imposed against Heras as the denial of the Vuelta victory because of irregularities in the doping process are invalid. The judgment can still be appealed. Heras himself had always maintained his innocence.