Willy Voet

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Willy Voet is a sports physiotherapist. He is most widely known for his involvement in the infamous Festina doping scandal which plagued the 1998 Tour de France (often dubbed the "Tour of Shame").

On July 8, 1998, Voet was stopped by French Customs agents as he tried to cross the French-Belgian border close to Neuville-in-Férain, near Lille in northern France. In his Festina team car, the agents found large quantities of syringes and controlled substances including narcotics, erythropoietin (EPO), growth hormones, testosterone and amphetamines. He was immediately arrested and the Festina cycling team was suspended from the race. Further investigations lead to the suspension, arrest and prosecution of numerous Festina and TVM team riders and support staff.

In 2000, Voet went on trial for his actions. He was convicted, given a 10-month suspended sentence and (the equivalent of) a US$4,200 fine.

Voet's book Massacre à la Chaîne (translated as "Breaking The Chain") was released in 2002. In it, he claims to have revealed all that he knew regarding doping practices in the cycling world.