Great Belgian talent should not debut in Tour Down Under by blunder of the UCI

Lotto-Soudal rider Bjorg Lambrecht should not start in the Tour Down Under. The young Belgian would make its debut in the first WorldTour race of the season, but there is the international cycling union now has caught up.

Until last year, had neoprofs at WorldTour teams prior to the start of their first WorldTour race three doping controls in function of their biological passport. Those rules have been changed recently, now have riders for at least six weeks (42 days) before the start of their first WorldTour race their whereabouts have completed.

A new world for neoprofs, so founded the UCI in december three information sessions (in English, French and Spanish) in order to give them help in the system of the whereabouts. Bjorg Lambert got his login for the system on december 15,… while the English-language online-infomoment a day earlier.

Lambrecht received from the UCI, the message that he two days later (and so 30 days before the start of Tour Down Under) accommodation data had to pass to be able to start in Tour Down Under. “A contradiction with the regulations,” says Lotto-Soudal.

“Huge disappointment”

“Obviously this is a huge disappointment. We are a week ago, the team traveled to Australia, I felt very good in the group, looked forward to the beginning of my first season in the pros, and then it is a major downer if you get to hear that you are not allowed to start”, says Bjorg Lambrecht in a first reaction. “But of course, we can’t take the risk. I will stay here for a week to train and then remove with the squad to Melbourne.”