Johan Museeuw convicted of doping

A Belgian court today found Johan Museeuw guilty of using performance enahancing drugs. The rider, widely acknowledged as the best one day specialist of his era, was given a 10-month suspended jail sentence and a fine. Three other riders received similar sentences.

The court was slightly harder on the two men convicted of supplying the cyclists with EPO and Aransep, both of which boost an athlete's endurance. Jose Landuyt, a vet, and masseur Herman Versele both received a one-year suspended sentence and the same 2,500 euro fine. The trial initially started over a year ago, but was put on hold in October last year. It was the culmination of a four year investigation and the verdicts were not really in doubt, particularly as Museeuw had admitted taking drugs (towards the end of his career) earlier that year.

There is no word yet on whether Museeuw will appeal the sentence nor how this will affect his plans for his Museuw bike range, the top end bikes of which have their performance 'boosted' by an infusion of flax in amongst the carbon fibre.