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Dierckxsens barred from Tour over drugs-related offence

The Tour de France, spared so far by the doping cases which brought it near to collapse last year, was hit by its first drugs-related offence on Monday when Belgian Ludo Dierckxsens was banned by his team.

The Lampre-Daikin rider, who won the 11th stage in St Etienne last week, is now out of the race.

He was routinely tested at the end of the stage he won and the test proved negative.

But the 34-year-old, who became Belgian champion a week before the Tour, confessed to taking the corticoid Synacthen to cure some tendinitis.

Corticoids are derivatives of cortisone and riders are obliged to declare if they are using such medication or face the possibility of sanctions.

Tour overall leader Lance Armstrong said: "It is difficult to have a point of view as corticoids can be performance-enhancing or be used as cures, in case of knee problems for instance."

Dierckxsens had a prescription to take the drug, but he did so without informing his team's staff, and Lampre-Daikin director Pietro Algeri decided to ban him from competing until further notice which means he is out of the Tour.

"Even though the effects of this product - the presence of which in the body does not exceed a few days -- have probably had no influence on the results of the rider in the Tour, he is liable to discplinary action," the International Cycling Union (UCI) said in a statement.

However, he could well avoid UCI sanctions since corticoids are not forbidden in cases where they are being used as a medical treatment.

Lampre-Daikin doctor Fabio Zaretti told journalists the Belgian had been suspended not because he had taken Synacthen but because he had done so behind the back of his team's officials.

"I still believe he is a honest guy," he said.

"I would not have given him this product had he asked me," Zaretti added.

According to the prescription handed to the UCI, Dierckxsens had taken the corticoids in June.

UCI president Hein Verbruggen told riders before the start of the Tour that they would undergo a new test which made it possible to detect corticoids.

No positive case has been reported, even though Dane Bo Hamburger, who was tested after the prologue, said he had shown inspectors a prescription allowing him to take corticoids to cure asthma.

After last year's doping scandal, which led to the exclusion of French team Festina and to the withdrawal of several other teams, the UCI has imposed tougher tests this season.

All the 180 riders had blood tests before the start and all have again been tested during the race.

They were also tested on Monday for perfulorocarbon (PFC), a highly toxic drug similar to erythropoietin (EPO), which has previously been impossible to detect.

Agencies