Winning a stage of the Tour de France into Nimes in 2004. He also took stages in the Giro and Vuelta, winning the latter event overall. However, things have not gone well for Aitor Gonzalez since then.
Having won the Vuelta 14 years ago but also served a drugs ban in the intervening years, life appears to have gone from bad to worse for Aitor Gonzalez.
Now age 41 years he has been arrested – for the fourth time – by the police in his native Spain.
On Tuesday, according to reports in the local media, he was detained by the police in Ali Cante on suspicion of robbery at a mobile phone shop.
The incident occurred in Ali Cante in southern Spain early on Tuesday morning.
The former Kelme rider was found by police beside the shop where the window had been broken in the course of an apparent robbery.
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However, he has denied any wrongdoing, saying he met another man while socialising that night and that the other person smashed the shop window and then fled.
Gonzalez won the Vuelta in 2002, five years after turning pro, and was 6th overall at the Giro d’Italia in the same year.
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Then aged 27 years, he won the Vuelta title by claiming victory in the TT on the last stage, jumping from 2nd overall to win from deposed race leader Roberto Heras (US Postal).
He also won three stages in the race, three stages in the Giro and one stage of the Tour de France.
He won the Vuelta a Murcia and Tour de Suisse overall.
However, he was linked to Dr Eufemiano Fuentes and the Operacion Puerto doping probe.
He was banned for two years, which effectively forced his retirement in 2006. He tested positive for methyltestosterone which he said resulted from a contaminated supplement.
A year later he was arrested driving under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.
And the following year was arrested on suspicion of organising a group of men to attack another man who owed him money.
In 2011 he was arrested on suspicion of trying to defraud a bank of €1,500.
He rode for Kelme for four years and Fassa Bortolo in 2003 and 2004 before riding 2005, his final year, for Euskaltel-Euskadi.
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