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Methadone found in Brandt's B sample
Tests on the B sample of Belgian rider Christophe Brandt, who has been withdrawn from the Tour de France on doping charges, have confirmed the presence of methadone, his Lotto-Domo team said on Tuesday.
Brandt was pulled out of the race by the team on Saturday after failing a test in Namur at the end of the second stage.
He failed a separate test on Friday, also for methadone.
"We have looked everywhere in the team for methadone. We have made tests and checks on power bars and nutritional products we use. But we did not find anything," team director Claude Criquielion told journalists. “We keep our trust in Christophe, but it's now up to him to find explanations.”
Team manager Patrick Sercu concurred. "I would like to hear the reaction of Christophe Brandt,” he said. “After that we will sit around the table with the partners to decide on whether or not to continue our cooperation with Brandt or break off the contract. But first I will talk to the cyclist.”
Brandt's case is unusual because methadone is rarely used by sportsmen. He has pleaded his innocence.
