The Belgian cycling federation, the KBWB-RLVB, has suspended for now its investigation into former US Postal, Astana and RadioShack-Nissan team manager Johan Bruyneel, citing a “legal tangle.”
The organisation’s president, Tom Van Damme, confirmed the news to Belgian TV channel Sporza during an interview conducted in Louisville, Kentucky, which hosts the world cyclocross championships this weekend.
Bruyneel had reportedly indicated earlier this month that he was prepared to co-operate with the RLVB in its investigation. He had been due to appear before it yesterday, but that hearing did not take place.
The KBWB-RLVB, which has provisionally suspended Bruyneel’s licence, opened its case against him at the request of the UCI in 2010, after Floyd Landis went public with allegations against former US Postal staff including its former manager and Lance Armstrong.
The process is separate to the charges Bruyneel, who lives in London, faces from the United States Anti Doping Agency and which he has decided to fight through arbitration.
Originally, USADA said that the hearing on those charges would take place in November, but nearly three months on there is still no news over when it may be held. We asked USADA for a comment on the reasons for the delay and when the hearing might be held but a USADA spokesperson told us: "At this time we can’t comment on any ongoing cases."
Van Damme said that the lack of progress on the other side of the Atlantic hadn’t helped the situation.
“We look forward to the next step of USADA. First he [Bruyneel] would be called in November. Then it was December and now we are already in February."
During the interview, Van Damme reaffirmed the national federation's zero tolerance approach to doping but queried whether a truth and reconcilation to uncover past actions was in the best interests of the sport as it looks to move forward.
"You have to handle cases that you can still punish," he maintained.
I did a double take on pre-tax profilts. £12.8 million? For the world's biggest bike maker? Even adding the 38% drop back in doesn't exactly make...
Empathy & common sense. Both in short supply....I think they got phased out along with observing speed limits, ceding priority appropriately...
£85 for a tyre. Jesus wept.
Deranged
The 100 mile journey was just an example to demonstrate the fallacy of the per journey measurement....
Out of curiosity, who are the "Strava community as a whole"?
most drivers would have assumed he was talking about cyclists
Thank you.
Well done to the cyclist who took the time and trouble to report this and to Greater Manchester for doing something, with many forces this would be...
Tell us that motorists are not paying their fair share based on the damage they cause... without telling us....