Belgian police raided the homes of a dozen professional racers Thursday, turning up such banned doping products as EPO, clenbuterol, nandrolone and a mix of human growth hormones and insulin.
Police refused to release the names of the riders whose homes were searched, but the Belgian daily Gazet van Antwerpen printed the names of pros from such teams as Unibet.com, Rabobank, Fidea, Skil-Shimano and Palmans.
Officials from Unibet.com later confirmed that team rider Geert Omloop, the Belgian national champion in 2003, was among those who received an unscheduled visit from Belgian authorities.
Team officials said he would be temporarily suspended from the squad until an internal investigation is concluded, but added it appeared no banned products were found in Omloop’s residence.
Dave Bruylandts’s house also was searched. Bruylandts, who is serving a two-year racing ban for EPO set to expire March 31, was to sign a contract with Unibet.com on April 1.
Team officials said they planned to meet with both riders Saturday morning. In a note on the team website, manager Koen Terryn said that if drugs were found, Omloop would be dismissed and Bruylandts would not get a contract.
The raid comes a week after Belgian authorities ruled to take 11 people to trial over doping allegations, including former world champion and classics specialist Johan Museeuw.
Museeuw, the 1996 world road race champion, stands accused of possessing the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoeitin) and two other illegal performance-enhancers.
He was suspected of being part of a ring of drug traffickers including a veterinary surgeon, three-time world cyclo-cross champion Mario De Clerqc and eight other riders and go-betweens.
They are suspected of supplying human growth hormones, stimulants, steroids and testosterone to riders. All will now face trial after Belgian authorities decided there was enough evidence to prosecute the men.
Museeuw was given a two-year ban by the Belgian cycling federation in 2004 for being implicated in the doping affair even though the 38-year-old, who won the World Cup in 1995 and 1996, had already retired from the sport. —Agence France Presse contributed to this report.