The disciplinary commission of the Vlaamse Gemeeenschap (Flemish Community) has given Björn Leukemans a two year suspension for using testosterone, beginning February 14. The former Team Predictor-Lotto (now Silence-Lotto) rider indicated that he would appeal the ban.
The Commission was not persuaded by arguments that he relied on the doctor's advice and was therefore innocent. "Even if the product is prescribed by a doctor, the rider still remains responsible for what he is administered," it ruled.
The rider did not give a comment on the ban, but his lawyer, Kristof de Saedeleer, told Sporza.be, "He is totally disillusioned. He has lost all faith in other people. However, there is no doubt that we will file an appeal. We find the sanction out of proportion."
