Vannoppen confirms cocaine positive but denies involving Boonen

By Susan Westemeyer

Tom Vannoppen confirmed that he had returned a positive test for cocaine, but denied naming Tom Boonen as his dealer. "I tested positive but Tom Boonen has absolutely nothing to do with it," he told Sporza.be.

After he was released from Team Sunweb, "I had a party. I drank and did dumb things. I felt I was no longer a rider. But two days after my dismissal, I was visited by the doping controllers," explained Vannoppen, who is in Treviso attending the 'cross world championships.

He vehemently denied having said that Boonen provided him with drugs. "This is a game to put cycling in a bad light," the 29 year-old said. "Tom and I frequently train together and we will sometimes drink a pint. But there is nothing more. In my questioning the names of thirty riders came up, of course his name was mentioned."

Het Laatste Nieuws reported that investigators had no search warrant when they arrived at Boonen's parents' house earlier this week, but he and his mother allowed them to enter. Hasselt prosecutor Marc Rubens emphasized that "With respect to Boonen, there is no indication that he has anything to do with the matter."