The Spanish cyclist Mikel Astarloza, who came 11th on the Tour de France, has denied taking any illegal substances despite testing positive for the blood boosting drug EPO.
29 year old Astarloza was provisionally suspended at the weekend by the International Cycling Union following a positive out-of-competition test on a urine sample taken before the Tour de France in late June.
Astarloza says doping these days is madness, sporting suircide, and he has reasons to doubt the credibility of the Madrid laboratory which analysed the drug sample.
Meanwhile the Kazakh rider Alexander Vinokourov has resumed his career after a two year drugs suspension from the 2007 Tour de France.
