New details emerge about Lazkano’s alleged doping case

In early April, Oier Lazkano lined up for Paris-Roubaix in the colours of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe. It turned out to be his last race of the season. His form raised eyebrows for all the wrong reasons, but few could have imagined what would follow.

His classics campaign had been a struggle from the start: 128th at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, a DNF at Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne, and only 112th at Classic Brugge–De Panne. He abandoned both the E3 Saxo Classic and Ronde van Vlaanderen, and his 108th at Scheldeprijs was the lone finish in April before that subdued 117th place on the cobbles of Roubaix.

It was a spring of quiet frustration, one that now reads very differently in hindsight.

Not long after Roubaix, the ball began to roll. Anti-doping officers knocked on Lazkano’s door at his home in Andorra. According to a reconstruction by Spanish journalist Carlos Arribas in El País, that visit marked the beginning of a case that would eventually lead to his suspension.

Officials informed Lazkano that they were opening proceedings due to irregularities in his biological passport - the same data the UCI later used as the basis for suspending him on October 30.

It has now emerged that four separate irregularities were found over the previous three years, during his time with Movistar. Investigators also seized his computer and phone to examine any potential links to the doping network.

One detail stands out: Lazkano’s former Movistar coach was Leonardo Piepoli, the ex-Saunier Duval rider who served a doping ban and is still officially part of the Movistar setup. Their relationship was never hidden.

Initially, Red Bull kept Lazkano in its plans. He joined the team’s training camp ahead of the Critérium du Dauphiné and was still expected to target the Tour de France.

But during the camp, he provided another doping sample. Days later, he was sent home and hasn’t been seen with the team or in public since.

In October, the UCI confirmed disciplinary proceedings and provisionally suspended him, based on expert reports suggesting it is highly likely Lazkano used prohibited performance-enhancing methods.

Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe were the first to respond, confirming the suspension in a statement: “We confirm that Oier Lazkano will no longer be part of our team. This follows the decision of the UCI to provisionally suspend him. The matter concerns the seasons 2022-2024 – a time before he joined our team.”

Soon after, his former team Movistar also issued a response, seeking to distance itself from the findings: “During the three seasons of contractual relationship with Mr. Lazkano (of the five to which the UCI study refers), all the controls to which he was subjected by the different national and international organizations, as well as internal to the team itself, yielded a negative result.”

Lazkano himself has not yet commented publicly on the suspension.