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| Sunday, July 15 |
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| Del Olmo becomes first to fail drug test this year Associated Press | |||
PONTARLIER, France -- A Spanish rider pulled out of the Tour
de France after becoming the first cyclist in the race this year to
fail a drug test.
Txema Del Olmo's preliminary urine sample showed unspecified
"abnormalities," his Euskaltel team said Saturday.
The test was done after the prologue in Dunkirk last weekend.
The team said he has asked that a second sample be sampled.
He was informed of the result Friday by the International
Cycling Union and the team decided he should withdraw. Del Olmo did
not start the stage Saturday.
The decision was taken "to ensure that the Tour de France would
not suffer the consequences of his action," the team said.
"The team wishes to express that they respect the ethics and
morals of the sporting code of the Tour de France," the statement
added.
Eight riders take urine tests at the end of every stage. The
cycling union conducts blood tests before the start of the Tour and
randomly throughout the three-week event. Forty-four riders
underwent blood tests early Saturday and none tested positive. No
Euskaltel cyclist was tested.
The 1998 Tour de France was shaken by a drug scandal that led to
several riders being kicked out of the event. Send this story to a friend | Most sent stories | |
ALSO SEE Dutchman Dekker takes eighth stage of Tour de France Tour de France: Day-by-day Driver steers into Tour de France crowd Tour de France results Armstrong teammate Vande Velde pulls out of Tour Kirsipuu takes Tour de France's sixth stage | |
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