2002 Vuelta winner Aitor Gonzalez arrested for attempted burglary

Aitor Gonzalez, winner of the 2002 Vuelta, has been arrested following an attempted break-in at a mobile phone store in Alicante, south east Spain, in what is his fourth reported brush with the law.

According to Spanish sports newspaper Marca, the 41-year-old – one of a select group of riders to have won a stage in all three Grand Tours – was arrested in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

The newspaper says he was caught red-handed by a police officer investigating noises at the shop in Calle Garcia Andreu, with Gonzalez – who protests his innocence – alleged to have broken the security shutter and smashed the window.

After being released on bail pending trial, Gonzalez told Radio Marca’s programme Intermedio: “"I have never been charged with a crime of theft of property in my life. Never."

“I was with some people I met while out partying,” he went on. “They smashed a window, but they weren’t stealing.”

Gonzalez, riding for Kelme-Costa Blanca, won the 2002 Vuelta on the final day’s time trial when he overhauled the 1 minute 8 second advantage of US Postal’s Roberto Heras.

The Basque rider won the 2005 Tour de Suisse with Euskaltel-Euskadi, but later that year failed an anti-doping control at the Vuelta for which he would be handed a two year ban, prompting his retirement at the age of 31.

In 2007, he was fined and banned from driving for a year after being caught at the wheel of his car while under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.