Belgian cycling champion Frank Vandenbroucke, shown in 2004, was troubled after doping allegations derailed his career. (Yves Boucau/AFP/Getty Images)Frank Vandenbroucke, a former winner of the Liege-Bastogne-Liege and Paris-Nice cycling races before his career was marred by a doping scandal, has died of a lung embolism. He was 34.
"An athlete with a brilliant but too short career has left us," Laurent De Backer, head of the Belgian cycling federation said Tuesday.
Vandenbroucke was on holiday in Senegal when he was discovered dead in his room.
Vandenbroucke was always considered a great talent but his potential was hampered by personal problems. In 1998, he won the weeklong Paris-Nice spring race and a year later, took the oldest and one of the toughest classics on the calendar — Liege-Bastogne-Liege.
He was first involved in a doping scandal in 1999 and in 2002, doping products were found at his home. An initial conviction was overturned in 2007, the same year he tried to commit suicide.
Vandenbroucke was eager to resume racing next year, but could not find a team.
