Tour wants teams to exclude suspected dopers

[david]

Associated Press

PARIS -- The director of the Tour de France is asking cycling teams to exclude riders who were implicated in the Spanish doping investigation.

Christian Prudhomme told a French sports daily he had already consulted with some team managers. He said he would raise the issue with others at the Fleche Wallonne race next week.

"The Tour was sullied last year," Prudhomme said in Friday's edition of L'Equipe. "It won't happen again."

At the 2006 Tour, a urine sample from champion Floyd Landis was found to contain elevated testosterone to epitestosterone levels. The 31-year-old cyclist faces a two-year ban and would be the first Tour rider to be stripped of the title if the doping allegations are upheld.

More than 50 cyclists were implicated in the Spanish probe before the 2006 Tour started, leading to pre-race favorites Jan Ullrich and Ivan Basso, along with seven other riders, being excluded from the race.

Ullrich's DNA was recently matched to blood bags seized in the Spanish investigation last May at a Madrid clinic. The clinic is suspected of providing doping services to more than 50 cyclists.

Ullrich, the 1997 Tour winner who retired in February, has denied using any banned substances. Basso also has denied doping.

Prudhomme said he talked to Basso's Discovery Channel team about pulling the rider. He said he had explained to the team "what seemed right and even necessary for the future of cycling," and officials had promised to get back to him.

In the Spanish probe, known as Operation Puerto, sports physician Eufemiano Fuentes, coach Manolo Saiz and six other suspects were arrested.

A Spanish judge threw the case out, ruling that he could not charge anyone because the country's new anti-doping law was not in force when the case broke.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

[bigdeal]

as if the whole UCI/RSA-ASO battle wasn't enough of a farce already, they go an add this to the mix. Just when I was starting to give pro cycling a chance again....oh well.

[gdw]

"The Tour was sullied last year," Prudhomme said in Friday's edition of L'Equipe. "It won't happen again."

[jhcakilmer]

I would tend to agree with ASO, but only if they have solid evidence that the riders are directly linked....such as requiring DNA samples from the likes Basso. If they don't have any empirical evidence, I don't agree........code names alone don't count as evidence IMO.

[jbrainin]

Virenque, while still denying his doping, sued his way into the TdF in 1999(?) and won the Polka Dot jersey. I don't see any reason why this year should be different for Basso (except for the obvious fact that Basso isn't French.)

Jonathan

[jeffg]

Originally Posted by jbrainin

Virenque, while still denying his doping, sued his way into the TdF in 1999(?) and won the Polka Dot jersey. I don't see any reason why this year should be different for Basso (except for the obvious fact that Basso isn't French.)

Jonathan

Virenque sittign in the audience as an invited guest during the 2006 Tour presentation just as they are trying to write Armstrong out of the history of the TdF and taking it as proven he cheated. Sphincters flambe ATMO

[Grant McLean]

Maybe Duke can enter their Lacrosse team?

g