‘As a person serving a lifetime ban, Mr Bruyneel was not authorized to be present’ – UCI objects to Lance Armstrong’s former manager’s appearance at Tour de France on stage 12

Almost seven years into his lifetime ban for his role in doping by Lance Armstrong and his US Postal Service teammates between 1999 and 2005, Johan Bruyneel was back at the Tour de France last week as a guest of the Flemish television channel VRT1 and the Vive le vélo show, hosted by Karl Vannieuwkerke.

Bruyneel was present in Auch at the start of Thursday’s stage to Hautacam, and posted photos on Instagram of him in front of a board listing all of the winners of the Tour de France. The board still lists Lance Armstrong as the winner from 1999 to 2005 despite the American being stripped of those titles by the UCI.