On Thursday morning, life and preparations for the Tour de France seemed to be going on as usual, at least on the surface, at Bahrain Victorious in Copenhagen. Just hours earlier, however, the team had been searched by police for the second time this week, and now, with just 24 hours to go before the start of the Tour, it was once again the eye of the typhoon.

On Monday, the homes of many of the riders and team staff were searched by police throughout Europe. This time, the Danish police searched the team's rooms and vehicles, again at the request of the French police.

Cyclingnews visited the hotel in Bahrain-Victorias, a suburb of Copenhagen, where the athletes were preparing to go to training. The police left after a search, and Bahrain Victorious issued another statement.

"Nothing was seized from the team. Police officers searched all team vehicles, staff and players' rooms." The team cooperated fully with the officers' demands and the search was completed within two hours.

A team press representative confirmed that no one would comment further to Cycling News, and the players remained largely tight-lipped.

The Bahrain Victorious lineup for this year's Tour de France includes Damiano Caruso, Jack Haig, Matej Mohoric, Luis Leon Sanchez, Dylan Tuns, Jan Tratnik, Fred Wright, and Kamil Gradek. Included.

The rider briefing on the team bus lasted 20 minutes, probably more time than was needed to explain the plan for the short ride, but the riders eventually left for their training ride at 11:00.

There was no sign of team manager Milan Elsen, whose Slovenian home was reportedly searched on Monday.

Jack Hague was friendly but declined to comment when approached by the media in the hotel parking lot.

"Have a good day, guys," the Australian said.

Damiano Caruso admitted to Cycling News that his home in Sicily was searched on Monday, but seemed puzzled by this third team search. He was not in Pau in 2021 and did not compete in last year's Tour de France, but now appears to be involved in the investigation.

"I don't know what to say, so I can't say anything," Caruso told Cyclingnews.

Mohoric remained tight-lipped and, along with the other riders, did a brief photo shoot for a minor sponsor. Life and cycling appeared to continue.

All the riders could do was prepare for a short ride and final shakedown of the time trial bikes. The team mechanics were busy preparing the time trial bikes, while Soinier and his teammates packed boxes of ice and prepared drinks.

Across the parking lot, the Groupama-FDJ team staff looked on; like Pau in 2021, they were in the same hotel as Bahrain Victorious when the police arrived. Team manager Marc Madiot was not amused, to say the least.

Bahrain Victorious has always denied any wrongdoing and has taken a hardline stance against the police investigation, promising to reveal more details soon.

Last October, the team brushed off suggestions that hair tests on three of its athletes had revealed the powerful muscle relaxant tizanidine. The substance is not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but the test results could indicate off-label use of the drug.

"Investigations against team members that began almost a year ago and have yielded no results continue just before the start of the most important cycling race, the Tour de France, and are damaging the reputation of individuals and Team Bahrain Victorious," Bahrain Victorious said in a statement Monday. It stated.

"Due to the recent investigation, the team feels that the timing of this investigation is deliberately intended to damage the team's reputation. "

The riders will probably have more to say at the Tour de France pre-race press conference on Thursday afternoon.