No positives among final Tour de France doping tests

Authorities found no evidence of doping in the final samples taken at the 2011 Tour de France, the UCI announced Monday.

The cycling union said testing done at labs in Châtenay-Malabry, Lausanne and Cologne all showed negative results.

“This excellent news further highlights the quality of the various anti-doping measures brought in by the UCI in recent years, especially the introduction of the biological passport,” UCI president Pat McQuaid said. “It also indicates that there has been a change of mentality and behavior within the peloton. Our sport is on the right track and we will continue to use all means available to protect it.”

Katusha’s Alexander Kolobnev tested positive for a banned diuretic during the first week of the Tour de France and left the race. He has not yet been suspended.

2010 Tour de France winner Alberto Contador is still fighting a positive from that year’s Tour. His hearing before the Court for Arbitration of Sport is scheduled for November.

FILED UNDER: News / Tour de France TAGS: doping / Pat McQuaid

Steve Frothingham

VeloNews.com editor Steve Frothingham joined the gang in bike-crazy Boulder in early 2008. He is the former executive editor of the trade magazine Bicycle Retailer & Industry News. He also was a reporter and editor for The Associated Press, where he covered three presidential primaries in politics-crazy New Hampshire. His racing career began on a BMX track in 1980 and reached its zenith with several miserable road races as a category 2 in the early 90s. He subsequently retreated to cat. 3, where he has had a consistently mediocre (at best) record ever since, in road, mountain bike and cyclocross events. Follow him on Twitter at @steve_froth

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