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Top Tour de France official Patrice Clerc said today Barloworld would remain in the race unless new evidence from a police investigation pointed to organised doping within the team.
Cavendish makes Tour history, Evans still in yellow
Barloworld, along with two other teams, have come under the doping spotlight following Spaniard Moises Duenas’s positive test for EPO (erythropoietin).
Police today discovered a stash of medical material and banned substances from a hotel room used by Duenas, who was pulled out of the race by Barloworld on Wedneday after his positive test was revealed.
Duenas is the second Spaniard to be pulled out, following Liquigas’s decision to suspend Manuel Beltran last week after he tested positive for EPO.
Today the entire Saunier Duval team volunteered to leave the race when it was revealed that Italian star climber, Riccardo Ricco, had also tested positive for EPO. Ricco has won two stages while teammate Leonardo Piepoli won one.
Barloworld and Liquigas insist they have been the victims of “isolated” cases, and are continuing to race.
Australian Baden Cooke became the fifth rider from Barloworld to pull out of the Tour today. Cooke pulled up after 25km of racing shortly after he had crashed, picking up a back injury.
Colombian Felix Cardenas and Italian Paolo Longo pulled out on Wednesday’s 11th stage. Colombian climber Mauricio Soler – the reigning ‘King of the Mountains’ – pulled out earlier in the race due to a fractured wrist.
The remaining riders are sprinter Robert Hunter of South Africa, compatriot John-Augustyn Lee, Italian Giampaolo Chuela and Briton Chris Froome.
Clerc, the president of the Tour’s holding company ASO (Amaury Sports Organisation) said the British-registered team would be allowed to continue until police evidence suggested otherwise.
“For the moment I don’t have any information other than that given to me by the investigating magistrate, who has mentioned the discovery of medical material (blood) transfusion bags,” said Clerc.
“At this time we are not in a position to say whether this is linked to any kind of organised team activity.”
Duenas was charged with “use and possession of plants and poisonous substances” and could face up to two years in prison and a 3,750 euro fine.
He could also be jailed for up to three years for “the importation of banned goods”.
Barloworld team manager Claudio Corti, speaking before the start of the 12th stage in Lavelanet today, denied all knowledge of the discovery and said he had yet to speak to Duenas.
“It’s a serious situation we are in but I have explained to the organisers that we, as a team, are not implicated in this affair,” said Corti.
Results Thursday from the 12th stage of the Tour de Fraance, a 168.5km ride from Lavelanet to Narbonne:
1. Mark Cavendish (Gbr) Team Columbia 3 hours 40 minutes 52 seconds.
2. Sebastien Chavanel (Fra) Francaise des Jeux same time.
3. Gert Steegmans (Bel) Quick Step same time.
4. Erik Zabel (Ger) Team Milram same time.
5. Oscar Freire (Esp) Rabobank same time.
6. Francesco Chicchi (Ita) Liquigas same time.
7. Thor Hushovd (Nor) Credit Agricole same time.
8. Leonardo Duque (Col) Cofidis same time.
9. Julian Dean (Nzl) Garmin Chipotle same time.
10. Heinrich Haussler (Ger) Gerolsteiner same time.
11. Robbie McEwen (Aus) Silence-Lotto same time.
12. Jimmy Casper (Fra) Agritubel same time.
13. Robert Hunter (Rsa) Barloworld same time.
14. Martin Elmiger (Sui) AG2R-La Mondiale same time.
15. Alessandro Ballan (Ita) Lampre same time.
16. Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia same time.
17. Konstantsin Siutsou (Blr) Team Columbia same time.
18. Xavier Florencio Bouygues Telecom same time.
19. Robert Foerster (Ger) Gerolsteiner same time.
20. Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto same time.Overall Standings
1. Cadel Evans (Aus) Silence-Lotto 50 hours 23 minutes
05 seconds.
2. Frank Schleck (Lux) Team CSC Saxo Bank at 1sec.
3. Christian Vande Velde (USA) Garmin Chipotle 38.
4. Bernhard Kohl (Aut) Gerolsteiner 46.
5. Denis Menchov (Rus) Rabobank 57.
6. Carlos Sastre (Esp) Team CSC Saxo Bank 1:28.
7. Kim Kirchen (Lux) Team Columbia 1:56.
8. Vladimir Efimkin (Rus) AG2R-La Mondiale 2:32.
9. Mikel Astarloza (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 3:51.
10. Vincenzo Nibali (Ita) Liquigas 4:18.
11. Samuel Sanchez (Esp) Euskaltel-Euskadi 4:26.
12. Alejandro Valverde (Esp) (Esp) Caisse d’Epargne 4:41.
13. Tadej Valjavec (Slo) AG2R-La Mondiale 5:23.
14. Damiano Cunego (Ita) Lampre 5:37.
15. Oscar Pereiro (Esp) Caisse d’Epargne 6:01.
16. Alexandre Botcharov (Rus) Credit Agricole 6:07.
17. Stefan Schumacher (Ger) Gerolsteiner 6:11.
18. Roman Kreuziger (Cze) Liquigas 7:00.
19. Maxime Monfort (Bel) Cofidis 7:07.
20. Andy Schleck (Lux) Team CSC Saxo Bank 8:34.
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