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Tour de France First Doping Positive: Manuel Beltran

by armchairsports | July 11, 2008 at 11:23 am

470 views | 7 Recommendations | 4 comments

This comes as the first negative blow to what has been the most interesting first week of the Tour in recent memory. People may consider this bad news, but in a strange way it confirms that cycling is still on the road to recovery, this may be more comforting to the public than a tour with no positive results at all - which would surely call into question the procedures being employed by the French anti-doping agency.

If the Liquigas team are asked to leave "voluntarily" it would be a shame to lose the opportunity to watch the up and coming Vincenzo Nibali who has shown well in the early low mountain stages.

Tour's first doping positive reported

Spaniard Manuel Beltrán has reportedly become the 2008 Tour de France's first doping positive. The Liquigas rider's A sample is said to have tested positive for the banned blood booster erythropoeitin following the first stage which ended in Plumelec last Saturday. Tour organiser, Amaury Sport Organisation, has yet to make a formal announcement the French Anti-doping Agency (AFLD) president Pierre Bordry of the result, and said that Beltrán has requested a B sample analysis.

The Liquigas team then announced that it had immediate withdrawn Beltrán from the race, and suspended him from the team. "If the counter-analysis confirms Beltràn's positive, the team would proceed with an immediate dismissal and reserves the right to sue the rider for damages," a team announcement said. Team manager Roberto Amadio said he was "shocked" by the news. "We will await the outcome of further investigations and at the same time, albeit with pain, we are prepared to take stricter measures, with full respect for the values that has always been evident in our team."

Police search hotel after Beltran positive: Doping officials confirm A sample positive for EPO

By Agence France Presse
French police descended on the hotel of the Liquigas team Friday evening after anti-doping officials confirmed that the team's Manuel Beltran tested positive for blood booster erythropoietin (EPO), following the opening stage of the Tour last Saturday.

Beltran, who finished 25th on the day, was one of several riders randomly chosen to submit urine samples following the stage. An unnamed anti-doping official at the Tour confirmed the result of the test to AFP.

As the Tour de France is being held outside the auspices of the UCI this year, the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) is carrying out all the blood and urine controls.

The AFLD took blood samples from the entire 180-strong peloton at the start of the race. These samples have been analyzed in Lausanne, and also sent to the UCI to form part of their database of profiles for the 'biological passport' program.

(...)

The news of Beltran's positive test would be the first of this year's race. Beltran is likely to be ejected from the race and the team is likely to be asked to leave “voluntarily,” in keeping with race organizers' policy.

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kferaday

at 11:57 on July 11th, 2008

I agree that it's a good thing. It means the process is working well and the cheats will be caught. As hard as it is, ASO should ask (forcefully) Liquigas to leave. Team management must also have a central responsibility in this. It's a zero tolerance policy that will also make the sponsors feel more confident.

Now can you just imagine if the NFL had to eject any playoff team that tested positive? If they had anywhere near the strick testing that cycling has I can guarantee you you'd never see the Superbowl.

Rob Holland (not verified)

at 14:32 on July 11th, 2008

The last news is that the team stay's in the Tour de France because they took him out of the race after the news came out. If the second test is positive too he will be also be fired from the team.