Former Rabobank rider Michael Boogerd banned for historical doping offences

Michael Boogerd, winner of the 1999 Amstel Gold Race, has been banned from cycling for two years by the UCI after admitting historical doping offences.

In an interview in 2013, the former Rabobank rider said he had used EPO, blood boosters and cortisone throughout his career between 1997 and 2007, including when he beat Lance Armstrong in the 1999 Gold Race.

The UCI, said in a statement: “Michael Boogerd has been sanctioned with a two years’ ineligibility for the anti-doping rule violations he committed during his cycling career. The ban is effective until 21 December 2017.”

Boogerd, who has been working with Team Roompot-Oranje Peloton, will not contest the suspension or the length of the ban, saying that he accepts the consequences of his mistakes.

“Because of my voluntary confession on March 6, 2013, I am bearing the responsibility and accept the consequences of decisions that I have taken in the past," he said in a statement.

He said that he accepts the duration of his ban “because I was always alone and am ready to tell my own story and not about other riders or coaches.”

Team Roompot said: “We wish Michael and his family a lot of strength in this difficult time and hope in the future to re-use his knowledge of and love for cycling.”