Lotto-Dstny rider Lennert Van Eetvelt has been placed on non-active status by his team pending further investigation after an ‘alleged breach of anti-doping laws’ by the Belgian.
Van Eetvelt informed his team of the situation on Friday, Lotto-Dstny said in a press release about the case, which occurred during the Tour des Alpes Maritimes et du Var on February 19th, in which the 21-year-old neo-pro finished 18th.
The team stated in the press release that ‘the substance referred to in the dossier is an authorised substance, found in a nasal spray that is freely available and authorised in competition, if mentioned during a [anti-doping] control and when its use is in accordance with the package leaflet.' The press release did not specify what the substance actually was.
Lotto-Dstny also emphasised that placing Van Eetvelt on non-active status was a measure taken in compliance with the guidelines of the Mouvement Pour Un Cyclisme Crédible association, which the team joined in November 2012.
In the same statement, Van Eetvelt insisted he had always acted in good faith and that he was hoping that the letter he had received informing him of the alleged breach had been a mistake. He also said that he had ‘clearly mentioned’ to the anti-doping inspectors at the race that he had taken the nasal spray, as he had done previously in his career.
“My world was turned upside down for a moment,” Van Eetvelt said, “no rider wants to receive such a letter. I also don’t really understand what happened. [] I am not aware of any wrongdoing and I hope this nightmare will end soon.”
The statement added that Van Eetvelt took the nasal spray in consultation with his medical supervisor.
After a meeting on Saturday between rider, team management and team doctor, the squad emphasised that they were “confident of a good outcome.·
“The team applies a strict zero-tolerance policy and therefore Lennert has been put on non-active. We want to stress that this is in no way a conviction but merely the application of the MPCC (Mouvement pour un Cyclisme Crédible) guidelines. It also gives Lennert time to substantiate his case in the best way possible.”
