Cycling: King of the Mountains winner Kohl fails EPO test

The austrian cyclist Bernhard Kohl, who won the King of the Mountains competition in this year's Tour de France, has tested positive for a banned blood booster in a rechecking of his samples from the race.

French anti-doping agency director Pierre Bordry said yesterday that he has informed Austrian anti-doping authorities so they can notify Kohl. The Austrian cyclist is the fourth rider to be caught using CERA, an advanced version of EPO. Kohl finished third at this year's Tour behind Carlos Sastre and Cadel Evans.

The new blood tests for CERA have also exposed Kohl's team-mate at Gerolsteiner, Stefan Schumacher, and Italian cyclists Riccardo Ricco and Leonardo Piepoli. Ricco was banned for two years earlier this month by the Italian Olympic committee after admitting to doping during the Tour.

Kohl risks a two-year suspension and could lose his podium spot to fourth-place Denis Menchov of Russia. Bordry said Kohl's tests were conducted on samples drawn at the start and during the Tour in July, at roughly the same times as samples taken from Ricco, Piepoli and Schumacher.

Bordry would not say whether tests are completed on samples from other riders, leaving open the possibility of more positive results.