By Rob Jones
Early Thursday morning, the UCI performed blood tests on five teams: Austria, Belgium, South Africa, Denmark and Sweden. Michael Weiss of the Austrian squad was found "unfit for racing" and will not be allowed to start in Saturday's elite men's cross country race. No other racers were reported as "unfit". Weiss is now unable to race for 15 days.
In a statement, Bikin' Cyprus Team Manager Michalis Hadjioannou said a high haematocrit level does not automatically mean that one has used banned substances. He mentioned that there are some other reasons that the level can pass 50 percent.
"I know, Michi usually has a high haematocrit level, and in the first instance we trust him," Hadjioannou said.
"Before making further comments on the case, we will await the results of the samples the inspectors took. We stand for a clean sport and in the riders' contracts are clear on anti-doping," he said.
Weiss declared himself "very disappointed. I have done nothing wrong. The urine control will show that. But I still have to manage it mentally," said the 26 year-old rider.
