Baugé and France lose World track titles

Grégory Baugé's results from the 2011 Track World Championships have been invalidated, the International Cycling Union announced Friday. The Frenchman loses his third consecutive individual sprint title and also cost his national squad its team sprint title due to anti-doping rule violations.

On November 8, the French cycling federation (FFC) handed Baugé a backdated one year suspension, from December 23, 2010, to December 22, 2011, for violating the “whereabouts” requirements. There were two violations “regarding rider availability” and one missed test, all within 18 months.

In light of the suspension, “the UCI today informed the FFC that all the results obtained by the rider and by any team of which he was a member during that period have been nullified by this decision.”

The team sprint title now goes to Germany, with Great Britain moving up to second place and Australia taking third. In the individual sprint, Jason Kenny of Great Britain takes the gold, with Chris Hoy also of Great Britain claiming second and Frenchman Mickael Bourgain taking third.

Baugé's attorney issued a statement saying the rider was shocked at the decision, stating that the UCI reversed the decision of the FFC, which only called for a suspension and not the nullification of results, adding the rider was only notified yesterday and the deadline for appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has already passed. The UCI responded, saying it is only following its own rules by cancelling Bauge's accomplishments.

Kenny issued a statement following the UCI's announcement, saying the news of his new world title came as a surprise. "Whilst it’s an honour to get my first senior World Championship title, I would have preferred to have achieved it under different circumstances. I am looking forward to riding the rest of the season wearing the rainbow jersey.”