AFP/Joel Sagetview photoPARIS (AFP) - Paris prosecutors on Tuesday revealed they have launched an investigation after the discovery of suspicious medical equipment including "syringes and drips" during the Tour de France in July.
The inquiry will be carried out by police officers from the Centre for the Prevention of Damage to the Environment and Public Health (OCLAESP), prosecutors added.
The probe was launched last July after the organisation responsible for the disposal of medical waste produced by the Tour de France teams discovered "suspicious medical equipment," a judicial source said.
The source added that "hundreds" of syringes had been recovered, while the OCLAESP also seized medical items from hotels in which some of the riders stayed during the race.
According to French daily Le Monde, the investigation involves a number of teams including Astana, home of 2009 Tour de France champion Alberto Contador of Spain and American seven-time winner Lance Armstrong.
Sports daily L'Equipe backed up Le Monde's claims regarding Astana, and added that some of the syringes being analysed had been used by the Kazakh team.
"These syringes, used by the team of race winner Alberto Contador, were sent to the Parisian forensics laboratory Toxlab of Professor Gilbert Pepin and are currently being analysed to determine their contents," read an article on the L'Equipe website.
Astana issued a brief statement insisting it had nothing to hide.
"Astana Cycling Team is surprised to read in the French press that the team is involved in an investigation by French prosecutors into doping.
"These media reports are the first we as a team have heard of an investigation. According to the press articles, the investigation involves a number of cycling teams having participated in the 2009 Tour de France.
"The Astana Cycling Team has nothing to hide, the riders use no forbidden substances, the Team is confident in the result of analyses performed or to be performed by a Parisian laboratory and is prepared to cooperate," the statement concluded.
On October 7, the French Anti-doping Agency (AFLD) indicated that officials had found "incongruous" substances in bins used by the Tour de France teams, but nothing that contradicted the global anti-doping code.
According to the AFLD, sitagliptin, which is used by diabetics when injecting insulin, and valpromide, an anti-convulsant which is prescribed in the treatment of epilepsy and manic depression, featured in a "surprising medicinal arsenal".
At the same time, the AFLD accused the International Cycling Union (UCI), its partner during anti-doping tests at the Tour de France, of showing "preferential treatment" to Astana.
The UCI rejected the accusations and described them as "completely unfounded".
The route of the 2010 Tour de France, which will begin in the Dutch city of Rotterdam, will be unveiled on Wednesday.
Comment 1 - 4 of 4
Valverde is a convicted cheater. He should have been banned 2 years and never should have won the Vuelta.
although anything's possible but I find it hard to believe that anyone from any team would dump used syringes and incriminating substances in the medical waste bins supplied to the teams in the Tour unless there is a big frame-up going on. By the French media, perhaps???? They must be getting tired now of their riders being trounced year after year by foreign riders. Unfortunately, it would seem that this latest investigation is yet another ploy to pin Lance Armstrong, and possibly Contador and no doubt we will have to endure this stupidity for ever more rather than simply being allowed to enjoy our sport. Considering that in Op. Puerto some 250 or so athletes were implicated, of whom about 50 apparently were cyclists, how about a bit of time now being spent on chasing up and exposing the footballers, tennis players, swimmers and field and track athletes et al who make up that total and leave the cyclists alone now. They (the cyclists) get tested more than any other athletes/sportspeople in the world both in and out of competition; surely that should now be enough. Leave the likes of Armstrong and Valverde and others alone. They are brilliant and entertaining athletes and give a lot of pleasure to REAL cyclists.
Richard Virenque is a cheater and a liar. "We" are not proud of him.
And we don't go after Lance Amstrong. His name hasn't even been mentionned in L'Equipe...
If you think Lance doesn't cheat why do you even care ? Let the justice do their job. They find syringes in the trash, so they investigate...
Here we go again, if France went after Germany in WWII like they go after Lance Armstrong then maybe we wouldn't have lost so many lives saving their behinds! Give it a rest already! I am also sure that the media, in their effort to support their decade long witch hunt, would never manufacture evidence. Face it France, Lance doesn't cheat! You'll always have Richard Virenque though, you should feel so proud!
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