Lazkano Doping Suspension Shakes Cycling World, Former Teammate Reveals ‘Strange’ Behavior
A recent doping suspension has sent shockwaves through professional cycling, with former teammate Mathias Norsgaard shedding light on the unusual character of oier Lazkano and raising questions about oversight within the sport. The suspension, stemming from suspicious blood values in his biological passport, has forced teams into damage control and left colleagues grappling with the fallout.
The news of Lazkano’s suspension, announced by the UCI at the end of October, has prompted widespread discussion about the prevalence of doping and the effectiveness of anti-doping measures. Norsgaard, who rode alongside the Spaniard during his time at Movistar, spoke candidly to The field about his experiences and observations. “Of course, you’re glad when cheaters are caught,” he stated, “But I’m honestly quite surprised they can get away with it for so long.There are doctors working at Movistar as well, and I find it truly shocking that they didn’t pick up on the issue. What do we even have that system for, then?”
Lazkano, 26, had established himself as a formidable competitor, particularly excelling in the Classics and demonstrating strong climbing ability.However, a notable shift in performance occurred in 2024 at the Critérium du Dauphiné, where he consistently placed among the top finishers in challenging mountain stages, ultimately securing ninth place overall. Norsgaard now views this as a critical turning point. “I won’t go as far as saying I wasn’t surprised, because I always hope for the best in people,” he explained. “He was also incredibly fast, because we were in the same weight category and he could just push big watts. But damn it – When it smells like shit, sometimes, its just shit, unluckily. Things were going fine in the Classics, but the Dauphiné was probably a bit too smelly.”
Following his accomplished stint with Movistar, Lazkano transferred to Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe for the current season. However, he failed to replicate his previous form, notably finishing 117th at Paris-roubaix before disappearing from competition altogether.
Norsgaard recounted a chance encounter with Lazkano during this period. “I saw him this summer in Andorra, and nobody had seen him as Roubaix,” he recalled. “There, he said everything was fine, and then this came out. At first I thought it was just more nonsense circulating in the peloton, because that happens quite often in a season like this, but unfortunately it turned out to be very serious.”
Beyond his performance, Norsgaard described Lazkano as a deeply enigmatic figure. “He was an extremely mysterious character,” Norsgaard said. “Very smart,interested in politics and always up to date on all kinds of topics. But he was also a bit strange. he would sit in the kitchen for hours drinking red wine with the chef after we had finished dinner.He was unusual
Why did it happen? Lazkano’s suspension stems from suspicious blood values detected in his biological passport, indicating a potential doping violation.Norsgaard suggests a significant performance increase at the 2024 Critérium du dauphiné was a key indicator.
Who is involved? the key figures are Oier Lazkano, the suspended cyclist; Mathias Norsgaard, his former teammate who spoke out; the UCI
