 Vandenbroucke could have faced a five-year prison sentence |
Frank Vandenbroucke was sentenced to 200 hours of community service after being found with illegal performance-enhancing drugs two years ago. The Belgian cyclist served a six-month ban in 2002 and was dropped from his Domo Farm-Frites team.
But a criminal trial has handed out further sanctions on Monday despite appeals from his defence team.
Police discovered EPO, morphine and muscle-boosting clembuterol during a raid on his home.
Vandenbroucke's lawyer, Luc Deleu, had argued the suspension was punishment enough and that there was no need for further sanctions.
Deleu said: "Frank wants to get all the procedural issues over with. He still has to decide whether to appeal."
Vandenroucke was tipped to be one of the sport's shining stars but has failed to rediscover his early form.
His best season came in 1999 when he won eight races, including the Liege-Bastogne-Liege World Cup classic and two stages in the Spanish Vuelta. Meanwhile, Vandenbroucke has extended his contract with his new team MrBookmaker until the end of 2005.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 