After the Belgian track cyclist Iljo Keisse’s victory in last year’ss Six Days of Ghent, he was fired by his team on Monday following a positive doping test, according to the Associated Press of Brussels, Belgium.

The team’s leader, Christophe Secru said that the famous cyclist regarded by the UCI Professional Continental team Topsport Vlaanderen has been proven to use illegal substances. They cannot do anything about his case right now as Sercu told VRT network. Keisse confirmed that he was tested positive for the stimulant cathine and a diuretic that can be used to mask doping.

Cathine is a monoamine alkaloid that is normally constituted in the shrub Catha edulis. The World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of prohibited substances (used for the Olympic Games together with other athletic events,) bars cathine in concentrations of over 5 micrograms per milliliter in urine. Cathine is regarded as a Schedule III medicine under the Convention on Psychotropic Substances. In the United States, it is classified as a Schedule IV controlled substance.

At last year’s Beijing Olympics, Keisse, one of track cycling’s most active and promising riders, together with his teammate Kenny de Ketele finished fourth. This fall, he won with German teammate Robert Bartko, at the Six Days and Munich. More likely, he will be removed from the success that he currently enjoys.

In December 2008, Keisse was suspended by his team following a positive doping test in November’s Six Days of Ghent, a popular cycling event in Belgium. Ghent is considered to be one of the shortest six-day circuits at 166m and with around 24 cyclists racing around its steep, tight banking roads, and it is also the most technically-demanding.

Keisse, or is sometimes called Tom Boonen of track cycling was (born December 21, 1982 in Ghent) and is one of track cycling’s most promising riders. He and his fellow cyclist Matthew Gilmore won three six-day races in 2005-2006: Grenoble, Ghent and Hasselt.

Over the past few years, professional cycling has been rocked by several major scandals in relation to doping and steroids use. Professional cyclists who are on top of their careers are being accused of dishonesty. Critics say cycling’s image is tarnished beyond repair. And on top of it all, the pharmaceutical and physiological hijacks taking place are complicated enough that casual fans and non-scientists are both left scratching their heads.

The sport’s governing bodies are very much serious to totally get rid of this problem, but it seems to be far more difficult than what they expected it to be. Ulrich Basso, together with other riders, was removed from the 2006 Tour de France the night before the Tour because of their implication in the Operation Puerto doping scandal. That is one of the reason why Floyd Landis came in and take the yellow jersey in what looked to be one of cycling’s great comeback stories, an improbable 80-mile solo attack during Stage 17 through the Alps after falling six minutes behind the day before. But then he turned out to be juiced, too, and for many, it was like having their hearts ripped out and stomped on with bike shoes.

As painful as it might seem, these steps are necessary to take for professional cycling to get rid of these issues and mess once and for all. The question they have in mind is whether there is still a professional cyclist who is clean from steroids use and the answer is yet to be revealed in time.

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