In an interview with CyclingOpinions, Johan Bruyneel opened up about how he sought psychological help in the aftermath of the 2012 doping scandal.
“It was a major lesson in life. I’m now a different person. 20 years older and 20 years wiser. Sometimes, I have the feeling that I’d really hit rock bottom and that I’d never recover. I was given medical help, both mental and physical, throughout that time. Sometimes, I’d meet someone who’d say ‘it’s amazing you’re still standing’,” Bruyneel said.
“Do I regret the doping? That’s a very difficult question,” he said. “In fact, my biggest regret is how we were so arrogant and the way we behaved. I think that doping was inevitable and quite possibly still is. It’s a difficult question. It’s a pity that we found ourselves in an era where what we said is ‘okay, if that’s how it is, we’ll do it’. If we want to survive, then that’s what had to be done. There was no choice.”
