Belgian Jonathan Breyne won the eighth stage of the Tour of Taihu Lake in China on November 9, 2013. It was the first victory of the season for the 22-year-old. The success opened the door to a contract with the Belgian third-division team Josan-To Win. However, on Wednesday, his prospects of being able to accept the contract changed. Like Michael Rogers (Saxo-Tinkoff), he was informed by the UCI, cycling's world governing body, of a positive doping test [ Link ]. As in the case of the Australian, traces of the calf-fattening agent clenbuterol were detected in Breyne's urine.
It is known that the substance is used in cattle farming in China. Against this backdrop, WADA Director General David Howman warned against participating in competitions in China two years ago. The UCI subsequently urged race organizers to provide athletes with information on "safe" accommodations.
"What do I do to deserve this? I've done absolutely nothing, never taken anything. But how am I going to prove that, the race was held in China after all.”
Two positive doping tests in one day, both linked to race participation in China, may well be surprising. For Breyne, however, the news was devastating, coupled with a situation he felt powerless to face. After an interview with the Belgian news portal Sudinfo, he attempted suicide yesterday by overdosing on pills. "What did I do to deserve this? I haven't done anything wrong, I've never taken anything ," he stated disillusionedly during the interview. " But how can I prove that? The race was held in China."
An hour after the interview, Breyne's father informed Sudinfo about the suicide attempt. Breyne is now being treated intensively in hospital. Further details on his current condition are not known.