Europcar’s Sebastien Turgot, second in Paris-Roubaix last month, has been branded “an idiot” by team manager Jean-René Bernaudeau after becoming the fourth high-profile French cyclist in less than a year to face charges related to infringement of anti-doping ‘whereabouts’ rules.
The 28-year-old, whose runner-up spot to Tom Boonen in the Queen of the Classics was the best performance by a Frenchman in the race in the race since Frederic Guesdon's 1997 victory, faces a ban of up to two years after committing three infringements within 18 months related to World Anti-Doping Agency rules requiring athletes to file details of where they will be to enable random drugs tests to be carried out.
Reacting to the news that the French cycling federation, the FFC, has opened disciplinary proceedings against the rider, Bernaudeau told the newspaper Ouest-France: “He’s an idiot, it’s indefensible,” adding that “he knew the rules,” and that the cyclist had committed “gross negligence.”
Three other leading French cyclists have faced disciplinary proceedings related to whereabouts infringements within the past year.
FDJ-BigMat’s Yoann Offerdo is currently serving a one-year ban, while the FFC handed track star Grégory Baugé a backdated one year ban, the UCI subsequently stripping him of his 2011 world title in the individual sprint, and France of the team sprint title he had helped it win.
Last year, former world and Olympic champion Jeannie Longo was cleared by the FFC of having committed an offence after it was ruled that she had not been notified that she continued to be a member of the elite testing pool required to submit their whereabouts information.
The 53-year-old, who hopes to compete at the Olympics in London this summer 16 years after winning gold in the road race at Atlanta, continues to be embroiled in controversy, however.
Last year her husband and coach, Patrice Ciprelli, successfully appealed a ban imposed by the FFC over charges that he ordering EPO over the internet; in February, however, he was arrested and Longo herself interviewed by French police who had raided their Alpe d’Huez apartment in connection with an investigation into the same allegations.
I'm old enough to remember when you could buy an end of season pro bike for 1500 GBP (it's not that long ago).
Madness, isn't it? ...
Watch out for toe overlap (front wheel clearance) with midfoot cleats,
Maybe the community service. The regret seems genuine. But 12 months? What's wrong with 5 year bans, in this and so many other cases. Indeed in...
"So now you're saying that being in that family - even by marriage - makes you more likely to commit a traffic offence?"...
Will those wide rim brake models fit inside a shimano 40-49mm brake caliper with 28mm max clearance??? Gonna be a squeeze...
The fact is that many have who have relied on the extra business BTW brings in but then find they cannot cover their overhead with significantly...
I'd be even more concerned about the effect it may have on whether the helmet can still do its job in the event of an impact....
Even if true, it's not an essential flaw in the argument, because the whole thing about shared spaces was merely an aside to the argument.
I think someone at the office has pulled a prank on less informed road.cc reviewers: First a review of Effetto Mariposa's helmet liners and now a...