Lotto Soudal have imposed a complete alcohol ban on all riders and staff while on training camps or at races.
“This measure applies in many companies. It is part of the way of living together. The majority of staff also thought this was a good idea,” Lotto Soudal CEO John Lelangue told Belgian newspaper Het Nieuwsblad.
“We remain a friendly team, but without alcohol. Drinking coffee together is also nice.”
“It has absolutely nothing to do with that incident. We already had a code of conduct, and I have now adjusted it a bit for safety reasons,” he said.
“Almost every staff member has to drive a car at certain times of the day. Then it seems better to ban alcohol. Every staff member wears clothing from the team with our sponsors during the races. We are all Lotto-Soudal ambassadors.”
During the 2019 Vuelta, Lotto Soudal performance director Kevin De Weet was sent home and suspended due to an ‘alcohol incident’. But Lelangue denies any connection of the decision to the incident.
“It has absolutely nothing to do with that incident. We already had a code of conduct . I have now adjusted it a bit for safety reasons. Almost every staff member has to drive a car at certain times of the day, so it seems like a sensible idea just to ban alcohol.
