Red Hook Crit winner David van Eerd banned for doping

Former Red Hook Crit winner David van Eerd has been banned from racing for four years after testing positive.

The Dutchman, a familiar face on the fixed gear racing scene, was tested during the National Moutarde Crit in France last July, returning a positive result for CERA, a third-generation version of EPO.

Van Eerd emerged on the fixie crit racing scene in May 2016 when he finished second in the Ronde van Katendrecht.

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In 2017, the 29-year-old won Red Hook Crit Barcelona, finished third in the overall Red Hook series and topped the NL Crit Series general classification while racing for the 8bar fixed gear racing team.

He moved to Dutch squad WIT for the 2018 season.

Specialized-Rocket Espresso rider Alec Briggs raced against Van Eerd in the final of Red Hook Crit Barcelona, with both riders fighting for the win before Briggs crashed on the final corner while pursuing Van Eerd.

“Instantly I was furious with the guy, so disappointed," Briggs said.

“It does f*** me off to the high heavens knowing this rider has taken the feeling of winning and success away from riders who rightfully deserve it, along with damaging the trust so many of us have in the peloton that we will all mutually race clean and fairly.”

Van Eerd raced the National Moutarde Crit in July 2018, finishing second in the super final.

French anti-doping authorities took a sample from him there, which later revealed a positive result for CERA.

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Van Eerd was notified of his positive in November 2018 and he was provisionally suspended the following month.

Then in June 2019, French anti-doping organisation Agence Française de Lutte Contre le Dopage (AFLD) handed Van Eerd a four year ban, backdated to include his suspension.

The decision was published in June, but was only picked up by Dutch media in October, which prompted a response from his fellow riders.

Van Eerd will not be eligible to race again until February 2023.