Lazkano’s suspension covers the most successful period of his career, including his Spanish national title and a standout 2024 season. After an impressive spring classics campaign, the 26-year-old finished ninth overall at the Criterium du Dauphiné. That meteoric improvement apparently raised some doubts amongst other cyclists.
“I saw him in Andorra in the summer, and nobody had seen him since Roubaix,” Norsgaard explained. “He said everything was fine, and then this comes out. At first I thought it was just more rumours from the peloton, because there’s a lot of that during a season, but unfortunately it turned out to be true.”
Lazkano’s performance during Dauphiné was a bit too suspicious, and the outcome is not that surprising for some. “I won’t go so far as to say that I’m not surprised, because I always hope for the best in people. He was also super impressive, because we were in the same weight class, and he could just ride fast. But damn, sometimes when it smells like shit, it’s shit, unfortunately. It was fine in the classics, but the Dauphiné was probably a bit too stinky.”
Norsgaard also described the Spaniard as an unusual personality during their time together. “He was a very mysterious guy. Quite intelligent, interested in politics, always well informed. But also strange. He’d sit in the kitchen drinking red wine with the chef for hours after dinner. He was special. I definitely wouldn’t call him my friend.”