LottoNL-Jumbo have announced that the contract of Juan José Lobato has been terminated by mutual consent. In addition, two other riders – Antwan Tolhoek and Pascal Eenkhoorn – have been suspended for two months.
The three riders were expelled from the team’s training camp in Sant Feliu de Guíxols last week for disciplinary reasons. The three riders had used or were in possession of (non-doping-related) sleep medication that had not been provided by or used in the team.
Tolhoek and Eenkhoorn have been excluded from all team activities, including the team presentation, the training camp and participation in early season races.
The team said that all legal and personal aspects were taken into account prior to announcing the decision as well as the impact the incident has had on the team. They also stated that none of the riders’ actions had violated UCI and/or WADA rules.
“The team takes responsibility for the health of the riders, and experiments that endanger their health are not accepted,” the team statement read. “In the context of the talent development policy that Team LottoNL-Jumbo advocates, the team has reached out to Tolhoek and Eenkhoorn to provide them a continuing opportunity to develop into an exemplary professional cyclist.
“In the case of Juan José Lobato, it was decided to end the sporting cooperation in the interest of both the rider and the team. Lobato has had an emotionally eventful year and will have to concentrate on his recovery.”
