In December, Leif Hoste was sentenced to a two-year suspension and a 150,000 euro fine for biological passport irregularities. The rider has now decided not to appeal to CAS, reports Het Nieuwsblad.

Hoste ended his career in 2012, meaning that the two-year suspension will not bother him much. The Belgian continues to claim his innocence, saying that he “never tested positive, but has now decided to end the case and pay the fine as he sees no point in continuing: “I can't see where we could improve our dossier. Furthermore, [going to CAS means] translating the whole dossier at my cost, and I risk that the fine is again increased to 300,000 euros again.“