Blanco confirms Sanchez will return to racing after team suspension
Spanish rider was suspended after links to the Operación Puerto doping scandal surfaced
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Luis León Sánchez is slated to return to racing with Blanco at the Tour of Belgium later this month despite ongoing doubts about alleged links to the Operación Puerto doping scandal.
Following reports in Spanish and Dutch media, the UCI WorldTour team confirmed that Sánchez would race, posting the news on its Twitter account Wednesday evening.
“News update: Luis León Sánchez will race the Baloise Belgium Tour,” the team wrote.
Sánchez, 29, hasn’t raced since all season after allegations about links to Dr. Eufemiano Fuentes resurfaced during the Puerto trial earlier this year.
Sánchez, who has been linked to the code name “Huerto” in the Puerto documents, has denied those allegations.
The Spanish rider challenged Blanco’s decision to keep him out of races to the UCI. A press note from Sánchez said the UCI sided with his legal team, but the information could not be verified by the UCI on Thursday.
“This burden is finally ending,” Sánchez told the local Spanish newspaper La Verdad. “I’ve been sidelined since January and it’s time for me to race this season. No one knows how motivated I am or how long these past four months have been for me.”
Sánchez has repeatedly denied he worked with Fuentes, who was recently found guilty of endangering public health as part of the Puerto scandal dating back to 2006.