The Tour de France lurched into yet another crisis on Thursday when Italian climbing specialist Riccardo Ricco tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO.
Following last year's scandal-hit edition, organisers were hoping for a clean race but all their aspirations were wiped out when three riders tested positive for EPO (erythropoietin) in cycling's blue-riband event.
The 24-year-old Ricco, runner-up on the Giro d'Italia and winner of two stages on the Tour, was tested after the fourth stage, a time trial in Cholet.
Photographs: Getty Images | Text: Reuters
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