Source: CCTV.com

07-25-2007 11:28

The sport continues to be hit by doping scandals. The Astana team withdrew from this year's Tour de France on Monday after their team leader Alexandre Vinokourov failed a drugs test, just one day after his stage victory.

Meanwhile, Tour de France leader Michael Rasmussen said that an administrative mistake had caused him to miss out on competition drug tests in the lead-up to this year's race.

Alexandre Vinokourov's stage 13 triumph was completely overshadowed on Monday after it was revealed that the Astana team leader had failed a doping test.

Astana's general manager Marc Biver confirmed that an "A" sample given by Vinokourov showed that he had received a blood transfusion, which is regarded as a doping offence in cycling.

Marc Biver, Astana Team general manager, said, "The amount of haemoglobin and the variation between the young red blood cells and the old red blood cells found in Vinokourov's blood indicated that there had been a transfusion. With this evidence, we have immediately suspended Vinokourov and we have sent him home."

On finding out that they had been forced to withdraw from this year's Tour, the Astana team made a rapid exit from their hotel in Pau. The 33-year-old now faces the nightmare prospect of a lengthy ban from cycling.