Ex World Champion Boonen Awaits Cocaine Trial

An out-of-competition doping test conducted between two races last May found traces of the drug in the 28-year-old rider`s urine sample.

Belgian authorities will decide on Tuesday whether former world cycling champion Tom Boonen will face trial after testing positive for cocaine last year.

An out-of-competition doping test conducted between two races last May found traces of the drug in the 28-year-old rider's urine sample, leading to Belgian rider being barred from the 2008 Tour de France. A spokeswoman for the Belgian city of Turnhout prosecutor's office said they would decide on Tuesday whether Boonen is to be tried for both possession and the use of cocaine. She declined to comment on whether the rider, who become a local hero after winning the world championship in 2005, could face a jail sentence, a fine, or both. Previously, prosecutors have said he could face anything between three months and five years in prison.

The Quick Step rider did not refer to the drugs issue in a news conference he gave last June after local prosecutors confirmed they were investigating him for suspected cocaine possession. Boonen said merely that he was "not perfect".