VDB and Planckaert react to Gaumont book

Frank Vandenbroucke and Jo Planckaert are considering taking legal action against Philippe Gaumont after he named them in his book Prisonnier du dopage. Both were part of the Cofidis team with Gaumont, and the French ex-pro described the alleged drug taking habits of both in his book.

In an interview with Het Nieuwsblad, Vandenbroucke said that he was actually "relieved, because I now know that this is probably the last chapter in his long running smear campaign. This has been going on since 2000! When he maintained that I had got him into trouble. Now he wants to cash in on it one more time by bringing out a book. Gaumont is in financial difficulties and now he wants to earn a bit of money at the cost of others...If I really wanted, I could have easily written three books about him."

Vandenbroucke added, "I'm talking with my manager Paul De Geyter and a few riders that Gaumont named in his book about what we can do."

Jo Planckaert, who was the rider described by Gaumont as getting a stomach ache from taking Oxyglobin before the 2003 Paris-Roubaix, told Het Nieuwsblad that, "Gaumont is a clown. Together with a few other guys, we'll take him to court. It's serious slander, yes, but I know it comes from an unstable fool. Gaumont was always stoned. He took 15 sleeping tablets and walked like a zombie through the hotel.

In response to the Oxyglobin story, Planckaert said that because of the Landuyt affair, "I'm an easy target."