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Tour De France Seeks to Bar Two Riders

Posted on: Monday, 12 July 2004, 06:00 CDT

LIMOGES, France - Tour de France organizers have asked that two riders being investigated for suspected doping be withdrawn from the race.

Tour director Jean-Marie Leblanc said Monday that organizers don't want the riders, Stefano Casagranda and Martin Hvastija, to start Tuesday's ninth leg.

Leblanc said the organizers of cycling's premier race have asked the riders' teams to withdraw them.

"The two team directors have been informed, (the riders) will not be at the start tomorrow," Leblanc said. "According to our rules of conduct, we do not want the serenity of the competition disrupted by their presence in the race."

Hvastija, of Slovenia, was 124th overall in the standings, and Casagranda, of Italy, 155th after eight stages.

Before the start of the Tour, organizers said all riders "implicated in a judicial inquiry or under police investigation" would not be able to race.

Danilo Di Luca of Italy, David Millar of Britain and Cedric Vasseur of France, two of six Cofidis team members under investigation for suspected doping, have already been banned from the race. Last week, Belgian Christophe Brandt was expelled.

Hendrik Redant, coach of Brandt's Italian team Lotto-Domo, said the rider was sent home after testing positive for methadone, a drug used to help recovering heroin addicts.

Brandt suggested that a laboratory error might be to blame and said he was awaiting results of a second test.

Gabriele Coppola, a spokesman from Casagranda's Saeco team, said the squad has not yet received official Tour notification seeking to disqualify its rider and would not make a decision until getting official word.

Casagranda had trained on Monday and was having a massage and did not "want to talk to anybody," he said.

Asked if the team would take legal action against the Tour if Casagranda is excluded, Coppola said, "That is our right."

Christian Prudhomme, the assistant Tour director, said he did not expect the riders to race Tuesday.

He said the teams have asked for a decision in writing - an indication that legal action could follow.

Leblanc said he was prepared for any legal action taken by riders thrown off the Tour.

"We accept the risk of judicial action taken against us," he said.

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