Belgian Johan Bruyneel can look back on a long career in cycling. Between 1989 and 1998, he rode professionally for the SEFB, Lotto, Rabobank, and ONCE teams. From 1999 Until 2012, he held the position of team manager for US Postal, Discovery Channel, Astana, and RadioShack. He, too, came under fire during the USADA investigation into former Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, who has since been convicted of doping. Bruyneel is enmeshed in the Armstrong system like no other.
In December, Bruyneel is due to address a committee in London about his role in the Armstrong doping case. There is much to suggest that the Belgian will be banned for life following the hearing. This prospect may now have driven him to an interview, which he did for the TV station RTL Luxembourg gave.
"I don't see myself as a devil. People want to blame Lance and me for everything."
“The more I think about it, the more certain I am. I made a decision in the last few weeks. I'm done with cycling because I can't see any changes", the Belgian stated. Bruyneel accompanied the American Armstrong from the beginning of his second career. After Armstrong beat cancer and returned to cycling in 1998, he dominated for the years that followed. What Armstrong's victories were based on is now known.
The allegations leveled against Bruyneel are staggering, ranging from the procurement of doping products to the organized distribution of them. Bruyneel had initially resisted these allegations, but after Armstrong's public confession he had little room for maneuver.
In June of this year he admitted his involvement in the doping system surrounding the fallen US cycling star, for tactical reasons, as can be assumed. Across from RTL Luxembourg he now said: "I don't see myself as a devil. People want to blame Lance and me for everything." It is likely that he will not challenge a possible ban in court. While he did not comment on his future plans, he underlined that he does not want to return to cycling: "You have to keep developing - that's what I'm trying to do at the moment", according to Bruyneel.