BMC Racing Team president Jim Ochowicz has helped the organization grow into a reputable UCI Pro Continental team. This was a busy morning for him following the Floyd Landis declarations the previous night. (Image credit: Wil Matthews)
The BMC team has announced it will take immediate action to investigate what involvement part-time soigneur Sven Schoutteten might have had with riders and staff during his interaction with the team.
Schoutteten is alleged to be part of a doping investigation in Belgium that stems from 2009. Customs officials in Liege airport discovered a package containing 195 vials of the banned blood boosting drug EPO.
BMC team manager Jim Ochowicz initially denied knowing Schoutteten to Belgian media but has since claimed he misunderstood the question when speaking to a Belgian journalist. It emerged that Schoutteten worked for the BMC team as recently as mid-June at the Giro della Toscana one-day race.
In the team statement Ochowicz said: "This is very disturbing news. Although he was only picked up to work when we didn't have enough regular therapists to support the races (he worked two days this year and 13 in 2010), we want to make sure his interaction with our team was nothing out of the ordinary.
“We do not believe there were any improprieties happening during his time with the team, but we want to make sure. He was not scheduled to be at this year's Tour de France, of course."
Schoutteten was arrested on Monday and questioned by Belgian police but conditionally released on Thursday.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
