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UCI deny Riccò's claims of more positive tests during 2008 Tour de France

By Cycling News

published 25 June 2013

Banned Italian maintains he is telling the truth

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Riccardo Riccò (Saunier Duval-Prodir) was exhausted after taking second place.(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)

Fans wonder if riders are on EPO or not.(Image credit: AFP Photo)

Bernhard Kohl at his anti-doping hearing in 2009.(Image credit: AFP Photo)

Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner)(Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)

Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval-Prodir) improved his GC position by finishing second in the stage(Image credit: AFP Photo)

The UCI has responded to Riccardo Riccò’s twitter claims that more riders tested positive to EPO at the 2008 Tour de France than has previously been released, with the governing body denying any cover up.

Cipollini: Ricco should forget about cycling

CAS confirms Riccò's 12-year ban

Riccò claims there were more EPO positives at the 2008 Tour de France

"Riccò, Stefan Schumacher, Leonardo Piepoli and Bernhard Kohl all returned positive tests at the 2008 Tour," said the UCI press statement. "But Riccò claimed on his Twitter account that more riders had tested positive.

"This unsubstantiated claim is totally untrue. In the 2008 Tour de France, the French anti-doping agency (AFLD) was solely responsible for carrying out all anti-doping testing. The UCI was not involved in the testing as the 2008 Tour de France was not on the UCI calendar but was organized as a national event.

"However, any adverse analytical finding from a test that was carried out during the 2008 Tour de France was reported by the lab directly to AFLD with a copy to UCI and WADA and was seen and reviewed by AFLD, UCI and WADA. It is simply not possible for a positive test to be covered up."

Riccò, currently serving out a 12 year ban, continued to assert that he was telling the truth via social media on Tuesday evening, claiming that the list of 48 positive tests "arrived at his home by mistake" and that it was "easy to refute my statements…"