Boonen

Raam

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10062008/58/boonen-cocaine-shock.html

Former world champion Tom Boonen has tested positive for cocaine, Het Laatste Nieuws reported.

The newspaper said that this year's Paris-Roubaix winner tested positive for the drug three days before the Tour of Belgium on May 25.

Confirmation of the story came from the World Anti-Doping-Agency and with Flemish sources responsible for drug-testing in the north of Belgium.

The paper said that police were to search the home of Boonen's parents at Postel and also the home of his girlfriend Lore at Meerhout.

There was no immediate reaction or statement from Boonen's Quick Step team.

The Belgian sprinter was caught up in a drug-taking scandal in December when cyclo-cross champion Tom Vanoppen said after he had tested positive for cocaine that Boonen had provided him with the drugs.

Police searched the home of Boonen's parents but found nothing to incriminate him.

Chips Lovell

Saw that this morning alright. He probably won't be suspended, because coke isn't classed as a PED if you test for it out of competition.

Boonen's really living it up, isn't he? Fast cars, drink driving, teenage girlfriends and now the Bolivian marching powder.

Raam

He's not bad on the bike either

tunney

implicated in dealing as well as consuming.............

blorg

Another article on Bikeradar - confirmation from the Flemish anti-doping authorities and UCI that there will not be any question of a ban. There is however a judicial investigation and he may face criminal charges (unlikely I imagine unless the police turn something else up.)

No word from ASO yet though. The Tour is no longer under UCI jurisdiction and they have been very firm on their "anti-doping" stance; I just wonder if they will be happy to make the distinction between "recreational drugs out of competition" and "doping" or take a hard line and exclude him (the Tour of Switzerland has already barred him on the basis of this positive.)

Chips Lovell

Boonen's problem might end up being his team. While I doubt Lefevre would personally give a monkeys about it, Quick Step's sponsorship finishes this year and they may have to be seen to be dolling out some sort of punishment to Boonen to maintain some sort of credibility. Velo News also reports that Boonen was in negotiations to join Bouygues Telecom next year. The cocaine thing might kill that deal. I'd never heard rumours about that transfer before though and its kind of bizarre that he'd want to go there.

Raam

He may or may not be in the Tour this year

http://www.rte.ie/sport/cycling/2008/0611/cycling.html?rss

Boonen undecided on Tour in wake of probe

Former world champion Tom Boonen, under investigation for suspected cocaine possession, has yet to decide whether to participate in the Tour de France this year, his team manager revealed.

'We will think about it in the next few days,' Patrick Lefevere told a news conference, adding that the cyclist's Quick Step team stood behind the Belgian sprint specialist.

On Tuesday, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor's office in the Belgian city of Turnhout said Boonen was being investigated after traces of the drug were found in a urine sample taken last month.

The Belgian won the world road race championship in 2005 and took the green jersey (points leader) at last year's Tour de France.

Hungrycol

Come on guy, we're Irish.... where are the jokes?

No wonder Boonen winning so many races. He wants to be first across the white line at the finish