Cycling: Mayo fails Tour drugs test

The Spanish rider Iban Mayo has earned the dubious honour of becoming the third rider to fail a drugs test in this year's scandal-ridden Tour de France.

The Saunier Duval-Prodir rider tested positive for EPO on the second rest day of the Tour. He has been immediately suspended by his team and will be sacked if the initial result is confirmed.

The winner on the legendary Alpe D'Huez mountain stage in 2003, Mayo's race performances have always been erratic.

After inflicting a stinging defeat on Lance Armstrong in the 2004 Dauphiné Libéré, the key warm-up race for the Tour, Mayo's rides in the following three Tours were abysmal. In 2006, the Spaniard's only moment of note came when he yelled a lengthy stream of abuse at a French television cameraman during a live broadcast.

In 2007, however, the 29-year-old suddenly and unexpectedly returned to his old, successful ways. After winning a stage in the Giro d'Italia, Mayo then took a top three placing in one Alpine stage and finished a respectable 16th overall.

The news of Mayo's failed drug test coincided yesterday with the confirmation of Alexander Vinokourov's positive for blood doping. The Kazakh was instantly sacked by his team, Astana.

Considered the overwhelming pre-Tour favourite, Vinokourov was forced to quit the race in the final week because of his positive dope test. His squad withdrew from the Tour the same day as their leader.

The Olympic medallist and Tour of Spain winner currently faces a two-year ban from the sport. At 33 this will almost certainly mean the end of his career.

Mayo's team-mate, Briton David Millar, announced yesterday that he was leaving the Spanish squad at the end of the year for the American squad Slipstream.