Spanish court overturns Heras' suspension

Roberto Heras can reclaim his 2005 Vuelta a Espana title. A court in Spain has overturned his two-year doping ban and returns to him the results that had been cancelled.

The Spaniard, riding for Liberty Seguros, tested positive for EPO on the penultimate stage of the 2005 Vuelta. He won the race ahead of Denis Menchov.

In February 2006, the Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) suspended him for two years and stripped him of his Giro title. Heras continued to protest his innocence and appealed the decision in court.

The Administrative Division of the Superior Court of Justice of Castilla y Leon, in Valladolid, has now overturned the suspension, according to the Europa Press news agency. Part of Heras' appeal was based on the contention that his samples had been incorrectly stored and that the samples had not been analysed anonymously.