Sad...

[VeloVT]

Sigh... I'm so disappointed... Not to go all moralizing and pollyannaish and all that, but Boonen seems so wholesome and **nice** compared to some...


Boonen caught with cocaine?
Boonen at the Tour of Belgium
Photo ©: Yoni Peeters (Click for larger image)

Belgian super star sprinter, Tom Boonen has allegedly been caught in an out of competition test for cocaine, according to Belgian newspaper HLN.be. The out of competition test allegedly occurred three days before start of the Tour of Belgium, where Boonen won the final stage.

The Belgian paper also reported that the homes of Boonen's parents and girlfriend in Postel and Lore respectively were searched last night. The non-negative test has also not yet been confirmed by the International Cycling Union (UCI). Boonen's Quick Step team was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

This is not the first time that Boonen has been linked to the drug. Last December, his good friend and cyclo-cross star, Tom Vanoppen was caught by the Flemish doping controllers with cocaine. During questioning Vanoppen allegedly named Boonen as his dealer, a claim Boonen later denied. Following the claim, Boonen's parent's house was searched.

Boonen's brush with the law does not stop there however. Just last week, he lost his drivers license for the second time in six weeks. On Tuesday night he was pulled over by the police travelling at 180 km/h in a 90km/h zone on the Mol ring road. He had a blood alcohol reading of 1.0.

Six weeks earlier he lost his license for 14 days for travelling 120km/h in a 70km/h zone. In 2006 Boonen was the face of the Belgian roads and traffic authority, promoting safe driving.

More at:
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?...n08/jun10news2

[violette]

I just don't understand these guys. Don't they know that they are watched like hawks and everything they do gets in the news. They can't even take Baby Aspirin without being accused of dopping!!

[Tuckervill]

Does Boonen live with his parents? Because I keep being shocked when the article says "Boonen's parent's house was searched."

Karen

[littlegrasshopp]

wow. Very sad. and if true, very STUPID.

[sundial]

Oh no! I guess he's another famous one flirting with disaster.

[Lifesgreat]

This is too bad. I hope he is able to clean up before a tragedy occurs.

As we were talking about this at our house, my 11 yo said "At least we still have Levi"

[ny biker]

I just don't understand these guys. Don't they know that they are watched like hawks and everything they do gets in the news. They can't even take Baby Aspirin without being accused of dopping!!

+1

Really stupid behavior.

[Ciao]

Bugger - trying to keep a high even when not on the bike...

Very sad and very stupid. It's such a tough and short career to begin with... Haven't they learned from the crash-n-burn over the past few years? Blow it and blow your longer term sponsorship/ career options.

[redrhodie]

Call me old fashioned, but it's kind of refreshing to see a recreational drug scandal (rather than the other kind) for a change. Hope it doesn't get him in too much trouble.

[Grog]

Sad indeed.

I wouldn't label cocaine as "recreational" though. It's been used in cycling (and other high-stress professions, you name 'em) for years and years along with caffeine, amphetamines, and other stimulants, some explosive cocktails are made with it, to increase tolerance to intense exercise and pain. My understanding is that the "cocktails" are mixed with little doses of lots of stuff so that individually they are not detectable but together they still have lots of effect. That stuff probably causes the athletes to become addicted after a while...

[redrhodie]

Sad indeed.

I wouldn't label cocaine as "recreational" though. It's been used in cycling (and other high-stress professions, you name 'em) for years and years along with caffeine, amphetamines, and other stimulants, some explosive cocktails are made with it, to increase tolerance to intense exercise and pain. My understanding is that the "cocktails" are mixed with little doses of lots of stuff so that individually they are not detectable but together they still have lots of effect. That stuff probably causes the athletes to become addicted after a while...

Oh, I was figuring him for a disco dancing party animal.

[gnat23]

Oh, I was figuring him for a disco dancing party animal.

I thought it was him maybe trying to keep up with his young girlfriend.

-- gnat! (oh, kids these days...)

[VeloVT]

I thought it was him maybe trying to keep up with his young girlfriend.

-- gnat! (oh, kids these days...)

ahem...

ok, so according to an interview with Boonen in Cycle Sport a few months ago, that 16 year old is **not** his girlfririend, just the daughter of the person (sponsor, or someone otherwise affiliated with the team) who organized the vacation for him, and the press "twisted" those photos around. Boonen also says in this article that a year earlier, the press caught a photo of him and his girlfriend having lunch on his balcony with a good friend and HIS girlfriend, and they cropped the photo to make it look like he (Boonen) had a new girlfriend...

OK, I don't know who to believe !!!

But I want to like him because he has a sweet, innocent smile...

[redrhodie]

Liza, you don't live in the same cynical world that I do. I don't see sweet and innocent:

http://foto.nieuwsblad.be/6788234867

Well, maybe I'm wrong. Just because he acts like a rock star, and does a little blow, doesn't mean you can't bring him home to meet your parents, right? I'm sure he's a very nice boy.

All joking aside, I think he's great, and I don't care what he does in his personal life.

[redrhodie]

He's out :

http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/cyclin...ory?id=3436911