Tour De France ‘winning’ Drugs War

Despite the third positive drugs test of this year’s race leading to an entire team withdrawing, the organisers of the Tour de France have stated that they are winning the battle against doping.

‘We’re getting closer to an acceptable situation,’ said Patrice Clerc, president of Tour organisers Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO).
 
‘This is a message of hope which means we’re winning the game against doping. We are building the foundations for a new professional cycling and we’re closer than ever to achieving it. We’re winning because we’re kicking these people out of cycling.’

Italian Riccardo Ricco’s became the third rider at this year’s event to test positive for the banned blood booster erythropoietin (EPO).

Ricco, who won two mountain stages of this year’s Tour and was sitting ninth in the overall standings, follows Spanish riders Moises Duenas Nevado and Manuel Beltran in failing a test.

The 24-year-old Saunier Duval rider tested positive after the fourth stage last week, the same stage as Duenas Nevado’s failed test, and was detained by French police after being removed from the Saunier Duval team bus ahead of Friday’s stage 12.

Following the announcement of Ricco’s positive test his team decided to withdraw from the Tour.