Johan Bruyneel’s reappearance inside the Tour de France’s inner circle has drawn sharp criticism from the UCI, after it emerged that the lifetime-banned former team manager had gained access to the start village during Stage 12.
The governing body has contacted organisers ASO to investigate how Bruyneel, banned since 2018 for his role in the US Postal Service doping programme, was allowed into accredited areas in Auch while filming a segment for Flemish broadcaster VRT1’s Vive le vélo. According to the UCI, this was in direct violation of Article 10.14 of the World Anti-Doping Code.
While Bruyneel is permitted to attend races as a general spectator, any formal role or presence in areas restricted to accredited staff is prohibited. The UCI said it had contacted ASO to confirm whether Bruyneel had been formally accredited and to ensure that it does not happen again.
The incident is particularly sensitive given the setting. Bruyneel posted photos from the village, including one in front of the Tour’s winner’s wall – a board that still includes Lance Armstrong’s seven now-stripped titles. In a caption on Instagram, he noted how he had “swung by the Tour,” greeted “half the peloton,” and described the day as a chance to reconnect with old friends.
The UCI, however, saw the situation differently. It issued a formal statement outlining Bruyneel’s ban and made clear that the responsibility for issuing accreditations lies with the race organiser, not the federation itself. The statement called for clarity on how Bruyneel gained access and insisted that appropriate action will be taken.
Bruyneel, now nearly seven years into his lifetime ban, did not shy away from the controversy. He posted a response criticising UCI president David Lappartient, calling him “the Selfie King” and accusing him of hypocrisy. Bruyneel claimed to have sent messages directly to Lappartient via WhatsApp and said he had yet to receive a reply.
The controversy has reopened old wounds at a time when the sport is working hard to distance itself from the doping scandals of the 1990s and early 2000s. Bruyneel, once the architect behind Armstrong’s Tour dominance, has long maintained that he was scapegoated for an era in which doping was widespread. His ban, however, was upheld and extended to a lifetime sanction by the Court of Arbitration for Sport in 2018.
The UCI’s swift reaction reflects both the seriousness of the breach and the ongoing sensitivity around figures linked to that period. With the Tour de France now one of the most visible platforms in global sport, even the perception of leniency risks undermining progress made over the past decade.
As for ASO, they have yet to confirm how the incident occurred or whether Bruyneel was granted accreditation in error. With the Tour still ongoing, the question now is whether organisers will tighten controls and whether this marks a one-off oversight or something more systematic.
