At the start of yesterday’s Tour de Yorkshire stage, BMC rider Greg Van Avermaet told Cyclingnews he is confident of being cleared of doping charges after being liked to Dr. Chris Mertens.

“For me it’s not a joke, I have to take it seriously because if you hear the ban and the amount of money I’d have to pay it’s crazy,” Van Avermaet told Cyclingnews, speaking in reference to the huge €262,500 fine he would face if found guilty.

“For me I’ll be happy when it’s over. It’s already been going on for two and half years. Finally there will be a day when I’m free and I can focus entirely on cycling. I’m confident that there will be no ban. I did nothing wrong and there’s nothing to say.”

Van Avermaet’s hearing is to take place next week, and he says that he hopes the committee makes the right decision and keeps an innocent man in the sport he loves.

“There was only one solution, all or nothing, and the commission has to decide what’s going on. I hope that they make a good decision and I’m pretty confident because if the ban happens then my world is coming down for something that I didn’t do.”