Former Sky doctor handed life ban

Former Team Sky doctor Geert Leinders has been banned for life for multiple doping violations, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (Usada) has announced.

Leinders was banned for violations committed while he was the chief team doctor and a director of the Rabobank cycling team between 1996 and 2009.

Leinders worked for Sky on a freelance basis in 2011 and 2012, but his employment caused the team great embarrassment given their public commitment to anti-doping, and team principal Dave Brailsford later described it as a mistake.

Usada said in a statement: “After a hearing at which the detailed evidence, including eyewitness testimony, corroborating documentation and an expert analysis of abnormal blood values of cyclists was presented, the independent arbitration panel found that Leinders possessed, trafficked, and administered banned performance-enhancing substances and methods without any legitimate medical need, including EPO, blood transfusion paraphernalia, testosterone, insulin, DHEA, LH and corticosteroids to athletes under his care, and was complicit in other anti-doping rule violations.”

Usada said it had discovered evidence of doping by Rabobank during the course of an investigation in 2012, and worked with its equivalent organisations in Denmark and the Netherlands to bring Leinders to account.

In 2007, Rabobank sacked Danish rider Michael Rasmussen while he was leading the Tour de France after he admitted he had lied to the UCI about his whereabouts during training.

Rasmussen later admitted to doping extensively during his career, saying he had done so from 1998 to 2010. He rode for Rabobank from 2003 until his dismissal in 2007.

Rasmussen, 40, co-operated with Usada in the investigation of Leinders.

Commenting on the decision, Usada chief executive Travis Tygart said: "It shocks the conscience that a board member and team doctor would abuse his trusted position by overseeing and participating in this type of dangerous and fraudulent activity.

“This case also demonstrates the global commitment of independent anti-doping organizations to ensuring that those who break the rules in an attempt to win and to profit from their cheating are held accountable.

“As we said from the beginning of our cycling investigation, ridding those in the system who attempt to justify doping as a means to an end is the only way to truly clean up cycling for current and future generations of athletes.”

Sky hired Leinders after their soigneur Txema Gonzalez died suddenly during the 2010 Vuelta a Espana. The 43-year-old died of septic shock after contracting a bacterial infection.

Sky had previously hired UK-based doctors with no connection to road cycling in order to remain free from the stain of doping, but Brailsford turned to Leinders concerned that he had left the team short on knowledge of how to prepare riders for the rigours of Grand Tours.

Leinders was dismissed in 2012 as Sky introduced a zero-tolerance policy with regards to those linked with doping.

During the 2013 Tour de France, won by Chris Froome, Brailsford was asked about the decision to hire Leinders as Froome was facing daily questioning about doping.

“The reality is that the thing is my responsibility. I’ll take that squarely on the chin, it’s something I’ll always regret,” he said of Leinders’ hiring.

“It allowed people the licence to ask these questions of Chris now, but it’s not his fault. I made an error of judgement, quite frankly. When someone looks you in the eye and lies to you . . . I’m pretty angry about it.”