Omloop looking for another team

Belgian cyclist Geert Omloop has not had his contract renewed by Unibet.com for next season. The former Belgian champion had his house searched for drugs by police in March this year, but has now formally been cleared of any wrongdoing. He was suspended for a short time by his team, but was allowed to resume racing after a few weeks.

"I knew all the time that I was innocent, but there was serious pressure on my shoulders," he was quoted by VRT as saying, after he learned last Thursday that no doping products were found. "The affair is now finished. The mark that I got is now gone."

Omloop said that he can now look for another employer, "because at Unibet I'm not welcome any more."

Team manager Koen Terryn said that the house search did have something to do with the team's non-rehiring of Omloop, but also his lack of result. "We had in any case decided not to continue with Omloop," said Terryn. "I don't want to condemn him, but Unibet thinks: where there is smoke, there's fire. We want even stricter standards. Our riders must be 'virginal' as it were."