Must Read: Bruyneel returns with blog post
Disgraced team director steers clear of the doping scandal that has enveloped him
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Johan Bruyneel has broken his long-running silence with a new blog entry on his personal website.
The beleaguered Belgian director, who is facing a lifetime ban for his role in the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation into doping practices at the U.S. Postal Service team, wrote for the first time since August.
Bruyneel, 49, doesn’t give much away. Instead, he writes about his observations of the season so far and largely avoids mention of his pariah status within the sport.
Bruyneel said he will address the USADA case at the appropriate “time and place”:
“A lot has happened since my last entry,” he wrote. “A lot you already know or at least have heard from others. There will be a time and place for me to share my thoughts and insights on the subject, but it will not be now due to ongoing proceedings. I hope you can respect that and take this blog for what it is — my personal opinions on the current state of affairs within the sport.”
Bruyneel’s fate seems to be in limbo. Although Bruyneel has vowed to challenge the USADA charges in arbitration, a promised date before the end of 2012 has not come to fruition.
Curiously enough, Bruyneel’s website is still entitled as “nine-time winning Tour de France sport director.” USADA has disqualified seven of those victories as part of its ruling against Lance Armstrong. The other two victories came with Alberto Contador (2007, 2009), who tested positive for clenbuterol in 2010 and had his yellow jersey disqualified.
Although he writes about his long-running love of cycling, Bruyneel’s blog got heavy treatment in the Belgian media. The newspaper La Derniere Heure posted extracts on their website, but placed the word “dopage” in the headline.
