ASO has ruled out suggestions that riders accused of littering during last year’s Liège-Bastogne-Liège could be blocked from riding this Sunday’s event, saying that those concerned would be able to compete as planned.
French newspaper L’Equipe earlier reported that complaints from environmental groups were being taken ‘seriously’ by Belgian judicial police. They were understood to relate to riders throwing water bottles and wrappers on the ground, with TV footage being used by those who filed the complaints as evidence.
It said that twenty prominent riders could be blocked from riding on Sunday as a result.
Not so, a spokesman from race organiser ASO told VeloNation several minutes ago. He confirmed that the matter had been raised, but said that any suggestion that the issue could affect the start list had been ruled out. “There is no question of riders not being allowed to race,” he said.
Earlier, an official from one of the eleven Walloon federal associations told l’Equipe about the action. “It’s not one, but several complaints which have been filed since last year,” he said, asking not to be named. “The relevant authorities are those who must reveal the names of those concerned, not me.
“But if you take the top thirty from the classification of last year’s Liège, you can find the twenty riders who are the subject of the complaint.”
According to L’Equipe - which is a sister company to ASO - judicial police spoke to riders and their directeurs sportif, informing them about the situation.
“The inspectors arrived at the hotel, got the telephone numbers and addresses of some of the riders and indicated to us that the complaint could lead to a ban on starting on Sunday,” said one team manager, who was not identified.
The ASO source who spoke to VeloNation said that would not now happen, but stated that riders would be required to only discard bottles and other items in certain designated zones. These will presumably be collected and disposed of in order not to break environmental laws in Wallonia.