"Appeared out of nowhere and suddenly did everything": this former sports director talks about Lazkano

Brian Holm, Danish commentator, former cyclist, and former technician for teams like Soudal-Quickstep, made some harsh statements in an interview with a Danish media outlet when asked about the Oier Lazkano case, criticizing both Movistar and Red Bull for not noticing the anomalies in time that ultimately led to the suspension of the cyclist from Vitoria.

For Brian Holm, Oier Lazkano had the profile of a suspicious cyclist

It is rare to hear someone from the cycling world speak so forcefully about a suspected doping case. Therefore, the statements made by former cyclist and former Danish sports director Brian Holm to a media outlet in that country were surprising, as he made it clear that he was not surprised by the outcome regarding Oier Lazkano's situation. "When a cyclist improves so suddenly, without an obvious explanation, it is reasonable to be surprised."

"He appeared out of nowhere and suddenly could do everything. Of course, it could be due to natural causes, but if you have to analyze someone suspicious, you think, 'where the hell does this come from?'" Holm added.

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In any case, for Brian Holm, the fact that cases like Oier Lazkano's come to light and measures are taken when something mysterious appears is a sign of the good health of cycling. In fact, it is to be expected that even more cases will emerge in a sport that the Dane described as increasingly clean.

Those who did receive a bit of a blow from Brian Holm were Movistar and Red Bull for not having their doctors capable of detecting the case in their internal controls, although he explained with an example that sometimes it is difficult to do so. "When I worked for T-Mobile, we had Honchar. Our doctor noticed it was strange that he could go faster and faster. They did a complete analysis without being able to prove anything. He was fired, we went to court, and the team won. These are difficult cases where you have to take the initiative. It is not so easy to fire someone just based on a suspicion that cannot be proven."

Brian Holm also stated that, although he is unaware of the extent of the anomalies in Oier Lazkano's biological passport, he believes that the doctors of both teams have not been skilled enough, although he partly excuses them by explaining that in current cycling, it is very difficult to imagine someone turning a blind eye.