Dekker and Rabobank confusion

Thomas Dekker (Rabobank) won the 2006 Tirreno-Adriatico race (Image credit: Bettini Photo)

By Susan Westemeyer

What is happening with Thomas Dekker and Team Rabobank? It depends on which Dutch news source you want to believe. The Volkskrant newspaper claimed that the 23 year-old is on the verge of leaving the team due to "a reciprocal lack of trust" after the UCI said that he may have "irregular blood values", and that attorneys for both sides are negotiating an end to his contract, which runs through 2010. However, team manager Harold Knebel this morning told the Dutch Radio 1 Journal that such was not the case.

Dekker's manager, Martijn Berkhout told Cyclingnews that Dekker would release a statement later on Monday. Berkhout showed himself confused by the situation. "The only reaction I can give is the fact that the Rabobank-management has not contacted Thomas Dekker in person since the Tour de Suisse," Berkhout told Cyclingnews. "So Thomas knows nothing. Nobody informed him, and now they come with this very strange article."

The Volkskrant reported that Dekker was one of the 23 riders mentioned by the UCI in May who "warranted further scrutiny" because of unusual results in their testing profiles. The Rabobank sponsor has confirmed this, the newspaper said. In his radio remarks, Knebel did not deny this. "We received a signal before the Tour de Suisse, but couldn't draw any conclusions from it. We have an eye on things, and the UCI has confirmed to us that Thomas is eligible to start in all competitions."