Tour de France champion Vincenzo Nibali could be forced to defend his crown without a member of his support line-up, with Astana team-mate Lars Boom caught in a substance row on the eve of the race.
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“At 14.00 on 3 July, the Astana Pro Team received analyses from the UCI’s independent antidoping agency CADF from blood tests administered to its nine Tour de France riders on 2 July”, read a statement from Astana.
In a statement the team said: “Team medical staff have advised that Boom’s low cortisol result is the outcome of a long-standing and well-known application of anti-asthma therapy by the athlete and is not a violation of UCI rules and regulations”. MPCC rules stipulate that a rider with a low cortisol level should be prescribed with a period of rest.
“In case of abnormally low cortisol levels, competition will resume after an additional 8-day rest minimum, and back-to-normal cortisol levels”, the MPCC said, underlining why Boom should potentially be removed for “health” reasons.
About one hour after receiving the notification, Astana held a press conference at which Boom was present alongside Nibali.
Astana’s decision to start Boom leaves their continued membership of the MPCC in serious doubt.
Astana’s other option is to ignore the test, withdraw from MPCC and let Dutch rider Boom start the race.
Astana’s request was denied by the UCI, which said the proposed swap came too late.
Astana were previous year faced with being stripped of their World Tour licence following positive dope tests and only learned they had retained their elite status in late April.
Low levels of the hormone can be explained by the use of corticoids, anti-inflammatory drugs that are allowed out of competition but forbidden while racing unless a rider is granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE).
Boom won last year’s fifth stage on the cobbles and will be an important teammate for Nibali over the first week of this year’s edition, including Tuesday’s very similar cobbled fourth stage.
“It’s not included in the Wada rules so I can say Lars Boom is free to start the Tour de France under UCI rules, he hasn’t broken any rules”.
“I wouldn’t forget (Fabian) Cancellara, (Matthias) Brandle, Rohan Dennis; it’s not just about Tom”.
As for the “fantastic four” overall contenders, 2013 champion Chris Froome believes he can put time into his rivals, Nibali, Giro d’Italia victor Alberto Contador and Colombian Nairo Quintana.
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“If we don’t, if we didn’t and we went outside of that you can bet your bottom dollar the teams and riders would take us to any court they possibly could”.
