Ineos Grenadiers head carer who left Tour de France amid doping investigation reportedly worked at Manchester United last year

In the latest update to the story about the Ineos Grenadiers head carer who left the Tour de France amid a fresh investigation by an anti-doping authority, a joint report by The Times and Guardian has alleged that the long-term staff member in question also spent time working at Manchester United last year.

The report published in The Times by sports writer Matt Lawton and in The Guardian by Jeremy Whittle, notes that Ineos Grenadiers’ head carer David Rozman — who left the Tour de France after a request from the International Testing Agency to attend an interview over his links to convicted doping doctor Mark Schmidt — also worked for the Premier League giants and fellow Ineos-backed team in recent times.

It has been suggested Rozman spent a month working with Manchester United’s soft-tissue therapists as part of a ‘knowledge exchange’ developed since Ineos’s billionaire owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe became a co-owner at Old Trafford and Sir Dave Brailsford became involved through his head of Ineos Sport role.

Manchester United have not commented and the four-week period Rozman worked with the club came prior to any knowledge of the soigneur’s possible link to doping doctor Schmidt and the fresh investigation that has been launched.

In 2021, Schmidt was sentenced to four years and ten months in prison for running a doping ring that included pro riders such as Alessandro Petacchi, Danilo Hondo, and Borut Bozic, and reportedly involved a form of powered haemoglobin, leading to 11 cyclists and nine cross-country skiers receiving bans.

A June documentary by German national broadcaster ARD claimed that Rozman, who was not named in the programme, may have even played an important role in Schmidt’s doping network, according to text messages presented as evidence during the Erfurt-based doctor’s trial.

> “I don’t have anything more to say”: Ineos stay silent on staff member’s alleged doping links – but sports director admits it was unfair Thymen Arensman forced to answer questions after Tour de France stage win

Since the documentary was released, the Irish Independent published messages allegedly attributed to Rozman during Schmidt’s trial. In one Rozman allegedly asked Schmidt a month before the 2012 Tour won by Team Sky and Bradley Wiggins: “Do you still have any of the stuff that Milram used during the races? If so, can you bring it for the boys?”

In another message, the Sky carer asked Schmidt to “call me ASAP”, with the doctor writing the next day: “What say team?”

Meanwhile, on 6 July, the day before Froome won the mountaintop finish at La Planche des Belle Filles and Bradley Wiggins rode into the yellow jersey, which he would hold all the way to Paris, messages were exchanged between Schmidt and the staff member about meeting for “a beer” at the Team Sky hotel.

Rozman, who is from Slovenia, is one of the longest-serving members of staff at team that now races under the Ineos Grenadiers banner. His role as a soigneur dates back to the team’s Sky days and, in the early 2010s, Rozman worked closely with four-time Tour winner Chris Froome, effectively serving as Froome’s personal soigneur. He also served as a soigneur for Team GB at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games.

When the possible link between Rozman and Schmidt became the subject of numerous stories during this year’s Tour de France, Ineos Grenadiers and the returning Dave Brailsford remained silent on the matter.

In fact, such was the lack of comment from the team and senior figures, double stage winner Thymen Arensman was left forced to answer questions on the subject after the first of his stage wins. The Dutch climber said it was “weird” that his team’s management were not answering questions, while sports director Zak Dempster admitted it was not up to Arensman to field questions about historic issues.

Ultimately, Rozman left the Tour after the International Testing Agency (ITA) launched an investigation into the alleged texts.

An Ineos Grenadiers statement communicating the news stated: “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.

“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.”

The statement continued: “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.

“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.”