NARBONNE, France — With the competition reduced to an afterthought, the Tour de France was rocked by another drug bust Thursday that left cycling’s showpiece event all but synonymous with doping.
This was the third time in this race that a rider has been caught, and it netted the biggest name yet: Italy’s Riccardo Ricco, a winner of two stages.
“You can’t believe that a wave of a magic wand can change the world of cycling,” Patrice Clerc, head of Tour organizer ASO, said. “It’s going to take time.”
Ricco was expelled from the race and detained by police to the boos of fans. His Saunier Duval team pulled out of the Tour and suspended all its activities. This is the third year in a row the Tour has been undercut by doping.
The day’s 12th stage was won by Mark Cavendish of Britain, while Cadel Evans of Australia retained the yellow jersey. But, as is often the case in cycling, drugs overshadowed all.
“May the cheaters get caught. May they go away,” Tour president Christian Prudhomme said. “I said to the riders before the race, behind closed doors, that you have the key. . . . Some didn’t get the message.”
All three riders were ousted for the performance enhancer EPO — cycling’s drug of choice. Ricco tested positive after the fourth stage, a time trial in Cholet.
“It’s just amazing. It’s irresponsible,” said David Millar, a British rider with Boulder-based Garmin-Chipotle. “This guy does not have any love or care for the sport.”
Millar, who rode with Saunier Duval last year, has become a leading critic of drug use after serving a two-year doping ban.
Pierre Bordry, head of the French anti-doping agency, announced the positive result just before the stage. Some of Ricco’s teammates had already taken the starting line before returning to the team bus.
“It’s a team decision not to start the race,” said Saunier Duval sporting director Matxin Fernandez. “He’s our leader. We can’t act as if nothing happened.”
Ricco won the sixth and ninth stages of this Tour and was ninth overall entering Thursday. He was 2 minutes, 29 seconds behind Evans.
On Thursday, Cavendish led a group sprint to the finish after the 105-mile ride from Lavelanet to Narbonne.
Evans, trailing in the main pack, leads Frank Schleck of Luxembourg by one second and Christian Vande Velde of Garmin-Chipotle by 38 seconds.
At a glance
A brief look at Thursday’s 12th stage:
Stage: A flat 104.7-mile route from Lavelanet to Narbonne raced in warm temperatures.
Garmin-Chipotle watch: The Boulder-based team’s Julian Dean finished ninth and teammate Christian Vande Velde maintained his third-place overall standing. The team is in 15th overall, with a 1-hour, 7-minute and 24-second gap.
Next stage: Today’s 13th stage takes riders on a 113.1-mile flat trek from Narbonne to Nimes.
Denver Post staff and wire reports
