Willy Wouters, neopro at the Lotto Belisol team, has been officially suspended by the UCI. The young Belgian failed on three attempts to present his whereabouts. Wouters, who recently won the final stage in the International Cycling Week, will be suspended from competition indefinitely.

"The whereabouts are necessary in the fight against doping, one that fails to answer where he's been, is definitely a suspicious character", says UCI official John McGregor. But there are also those rising up to Wouter's defense. André Greipel, a renown rider, commented that the whereabouts system is complicated and young riders are not properly explained how the whole system works. The Belgian Anti-Doping Bond reassured Lotto Belisol that Wouters is not suspected of doping, but that his suspension is of a precautionary nature.

Wouters, who is currently in Italy to prepare for the Giro, has given a press conference, directly after the official announcement of the UCI. "I don't understand how this could've happened. I haven't used any forbidden products and have never tested positive. Yet they treat me like a common criminal. This is insane." Wouter's lawyer, Fred Pieters, stated that there must have happened a mistake in communication. According to Pieters, the whereabouts were always properly filled in and filed. "We will not take this, my client has done nothing wrong and should not be punished. This is a matter of innocent until proven guilty."

The Giro d'Italia starts in a week, and Wouters expressed his feelings on entering: "The Giro starts in a week and I cannot miss it. I've worked so hard already, and this is such an important moment in my career. I haven't done anything wrong, and I expect the UCI to figure that out and let me start in the Giro. There is no other way."

Lotto Belisol unexpectedly takes distance from rider Wouters and states that it can't know what all their riders do all the time. However, many riders from the team have expressed their sympathies for the young rider on Twitter. Many of them swear his innocence and offer him support. The UCI has remained silent after the official announcement, but clarification on the matter is expected soon.