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Lefevere denies allegations, threatens legal action

Published: Jan. 23, 2007

A Belgian newspaper Tuesday leveled dramatic allegations of illicit doping practices dating back 30 years against Quick Step-Innergetic manager Patrick Lefevere, one of cycling’s most powerful team managers. Lefevere vehemently denied the allegations, calling the front-page report in Het Laatste Nieuws “complete rubbish” and quickly promised legal action against the Belgian national daily. The paper alleges Lefevere, current president of the international professional team’s group, of taking drugs during his own racing career (he admitted to taking amphetamines) in the 1970s as well as organizing and orchestrating doping within teams he worked in the 1990s. The paper quoted two on-the-record sources as well as six other anonymous sources about alleged abuses of EPO, human-growth hormones and other banned performance-enhancing substances under teams where Lefevere managed. The Belgian issued a terse statement on Tuesday saying he is contacting his lawyers about taking legal action against the paper. “As a result of an article published today in the Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper, retaining it to be without foundation and extremely detrimental to both my personal and professional image, that of the people that currently work or that have worked with me during the past years, I’d like to announce that I have contacted my lawyer in order to act against the authors of the above said article with the objective of defending my rights,” he said. The news sent shock waves through the Belgian cycling community and is sure to reverberate in the coming days. Lefevere, who has maintained a close relationship with ex-rider Johan Museeuw despite doping allegations leveled against him, heavily criticized Floyd Landis after the American tested for high testosterone en route to winning the 2006 Tour de France.