Doping scandal clouds Tour de France

New Delhi: Tour de France is reeling under the possibility of doping by top star Alexander Vinokourov of Kazakhstan.

Soon after winning the 196 km stage 15, Vinokourov tested positive for a banned blood transfusion that made his Astana team to pull out.

Later police raided the hotel where the team was staying.

Tour organisers insisted that cycling's showcase race will go on, but without the Astana team which withdrew from the Tour after Vinokourov failed a drugs test.

Vinokourov was tested after the climb of Albi and the tests found traces of new red blood cells and traces of old red blood cells and this could mean there was blood transfusion.

"Alexander Vinokourov was tested after the climb of Albi, and the tests carried out by the laboratory found the presence - I read you the text - of 'a double population of counterpart blood transfusion.' Clearly, that's to say the laboratory found traces of new red blood cells and traces of old red blood cells and this would prove, at least until further opinion, that there was a blood transfusion. Evidently, on this basis and also on the basis of the team's ethical code, we decided to immediately suspend Alexander Vinokourov and send him home," Marc Biver, Astana team manager, said.

The Kazakh rider's stage 13 triumph was completely overshadowed by the doping scandal.

However, Vinokourov said the blood anomaly could be linked to a crash he suffered earlier.

Biver also said that the team would go fr a second opinion on the dope test.

"Before taking our ultimate position we are waiting, obviously, for the counter expertise which was asked for, and this will be carried out by the laboratory by the end of the week in the presence of a specialist, a hematologist. Alexander has not manipulated his blood and thinks that following his accident he could have had a blood anomaly in his body. After having spoken to Patrice Clerc (head of Amaury Sport Organisation, which runs the Tour), my task was to inform him and that's what I did. And with a discussion with Patrice Clerc, who made me understand that it would be preferable for the image of the tour and for the image of cycling in general, if our team pulled out of the Tour de France - which I accepted," Biver said.

Even before Tuesday's bombshell, Tour leader Michael Rasmussen was battling doping suspicions. Rasmussen had not informed drug-testing officials of his whereabouts and was warned thrice before being dropped by Denmark's national team.