Stefan Schumacher

The former notorious Gerolsteiner teammates with a history of doping positives will reportedly ride for Kuwait – Cartusho.es.

German wins court battle over his doping case at Gerolsteiner

Former Gerolsteiner rider now competes on Danish team Christina Watches-Onfone

Matt Lloyd has landed with Lampre for next season after a rough year that saw him kicked off the Lotto team, while German rider Stefan Schumacher will join up with Michael Rasmussen at Christina Watches.

Stefan Schumacher claimed victory in Thursday’s opening stage at the Vuelta a Asturias in what’s his first win since returning from a doping ban last season.

Stefan Schumacher will have to wait a bit longer for his return to professional cycling after serving a two-year suspension for doping.

The 2008 yellow jersey wearer plans to come back with the Italian squad at the end of the month, when his suspension ends.

Former Gerolsteiner manager Hans-Michael Holczer says blood tests showed "clear evidence" that American Levi Leipheimer doped during the 2005 Tour de France.

Hans-Michael Holczer says efforts to clean up cycling give him hope that he can return to the sport.

What biological values and ratios does the UCI's "Biological Passport" track?

Stefan Schumacher has withdrawn his appeal against an International Olympic Committee ruling that he committed an anti-doping rule violation during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

CAS, the world sport's top court, on Monday rejected an appeal by disgraced German cyclist Stefan Schumacher against a two-year ban for doping during the 2008 Olympic Games.

Question: "I recently read about the UCI’s decision to strip Davide Rebellin of the silver medal he 'won' at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing because he tested positive for CERA. As my kid would say, 'big whoop.'"

Just as cycling enters the off-season, threats of new doping scandals are looming on the horizon in Italy and Spain. In Italy, the sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that officials are going to re-test samples taken from the 2008 Giro d’Italia for the presence of the banned blood booster CERA. And in Spain, a magazine reports on a police investigation into an alleged doping ring, including some text messages reportedly between some well-known pro cyclists and a doctor.

Italian re-tests

Dear Explainer, Why do doping control results take so long as compared to my own tests ordered by my doctor, for which I get results back in less than a week? Time and time again, results are announced many weeks after the control. I would have guessed with anything as high profile as the Giro or the Tour, results could be turned around in 48 hours. Why so long? I am also curious how cyclists can maintain their innocence even after both "A" and "B" samples show positive. It seems to me that a lab result is a lab result and if it shows dirty how can they argue?

Tour de France chief Christian Prudhomme was cautiously optimistic in celebrating a scandal-free 96th edition on Sunday. For the first time in recent history the world's biggest bike race avoided being dragged through the mire by drugs cheats. On this year's race only the sublime performances of Contador in the grueling mountain stages prompted some experts to raise eyebrows. However Contador, who won with a comfortable lead over his rivals, insists he is a clean Tour champion.

The positive test of German cyclist Stefan Schumacher for EPO Cera during last year's Olympic Games has been confirmed by the B sample, his lawyer Michael Lehner said on Tuesday. The 27-year-old rider, however, continues to protest his innocence and is determined to clear his name. Lehner said they are contesting in particular the circumstances under which the International Olympic Committee (IOC) analysed the B sample in a laboratory of the French anti-doping agency (AFLD).

The Union Cycliste Internationale is seeking disciplinary measures against five riders based on results from its so-called “biological passport” program. The five — 2003 world road champion Igor Astarloa, Pietro Caucchioli (Lampre-N.G.C.), Francesco De Bonis (Serramenti PVC Diquigiovanni), Ruben Lobato Elvira and Ricardo Serrano (Fuji-Servetto) — are said to be in “apparent violation of the Anti-Doping Rules on the basis of the information provided by the blood profile in their biological passports,” the UCI charged in a press release Wednesday.

Bernhard Kohl ? the Austrian rider who tested positive for the blood-booster CERA during last year’s Tour de France ? admitted that blood doping was the most effective way to cheat. In an extensive interview with the French sports daily L’Equipe, Kohl said extractions of blood began nearly a year before competition.

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) confirmed Wednesday that the athlete under investigation for a doping violation at last summer’s Olympics is cyclist Davide Rebellin. The 37-year-old, who earlier this month won the prestigious Flèche Wallonne spring classic, tested for the new generation of EPO — a Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator (CERA) — in an International Olympic Committee re-test of samples from Beijing.

German cyclist Stefan Schumacher was on Friday banned from racing anywhere in the world by the sport's governing body, the UCI. Schumacher was suspended by French anti-doping agency AFLD from racing in France last month after failing an anti-doping test at the 2008 Tour de France. That penalty, however, has now been extended beyond France's borders. The 27-year-old, sacked from the now defunct Gerolsteiner team, tested positive for banned blood booster CERA, a modern variant of EPO once thought to be undetectable.

The French Anti-doping Agency AFLD on Thursday handed German cyclist Stefan Schumacher a two-year ban from racing in France after failing a doping test at the 2008 Tour de France, his lawyer said. The decision issued by the AFLD applies only to events contested on French soil, said Schumacher's attorney Michael Lehner. That ruling, however, may be extended globally if the German cycling federation or the UCI pursue the case. Schumacher said he would fight the ban.

Stefan Schumacher told a German newspaper on Sunday that despite the fact that he tested positive for CERA at this summer’s Tour de France that he “never resorted to doping” and fully intends to ride for Quick Step in 2009. Despite his plans to ride, Schumacher conceded that he has is uncertain if he will be able to pull it off in time to join the Belgian team. "I am innocent, I like my job,” Schumacher told Germany’s Sonntag Aktuell. “I'm only 27 years old and I'm super motivated. I want to win races and want to get my career back on track.”

German cyclist Stefan Schumacher, who failed two drugs tests at the Tour de France, confirmed Thursday he was suing the French anti-doping authorities (AFLD) for defamation. A statement issued by Schumacher's lawyer Michael Lehner said: "These tests were undertaken ... with a number of possibilities of blood contamination, of mixing up samples and other circumstances which could have distorted the result." The 27-year-old Schumacher is one of four riders to have failed drugs tests at this year's Tour de France.

Former Gerolsteiner rider Stefan Schumacher, who failed a doping test at the Tour de France, said Thursday he will sue the French anti-doping authorities (AFLD) for defamation. "I have been judged and pilloried," Schumacher, who has always denied doping, wrote on his Web site. "My conscience is clear." "I don't want to stop here and I will not stop here," Schumacher added. "The people who have always believed in me and continue to do so and don't deserve this." Schumacher is one of four riders to have failed a test for the new EPO variant known as CERA at this year's Tour de France.

Emanuele Sella (Societa CSF Gruppo Navigare) faces a yearlong suspension after testing positive for CERA in an out-of-competition check on July 23. While the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recommends a two-year ban, the prosecutor for the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) asked that Sella receive a one-year ban after the rider admitted his guilt and co-operated during his trial in August, the ANSA news agency reported. CONI's anti-doping committee will hear Sella's case on December 1.

German public broadcaster ARD has been told it has no basis on which to bring a premature end to its contract with Tour de France organizers to televise the race during 2009-11. A spate of recent doping scandals, some of which involved German and Austrian riders, prompted ARD and fellow German broadcaster ZDF to announce their intention to stop broadcasting the world's biggest bike race.

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The Italian professional cyclists association is calling for a lifetime ban for pro riders caught doping. In a letter sent to UCI President Pat McQuaid, the ACCPI said "lifetime bans should be introduced as an extreme solution to give cycling back its credibility." The letter said cyclists who cooperate with authorities should be offered the chance to race again after shorter bans. The letter was signed by ACCPI President Amedeo Colombo and the association's secretary, former world champion Gianni Bugno. The letter:

Dear Mr. McQuaid,

The German cycling team Gerolsteiner has withdrawn from racing after Austrian rider Bernhard Kohl failed a drugs test. Kohl, winner of the mountains jersey at this year's Tour de France and third overall, tested positive for the latest generation of the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin), named CERA. Teammate Stefan Schumacher of Germany also tested positive for CERA.

French national anti-doping agency (AFLD) chief Pierre Bordry on Wednesday said there was "considerable evidence" of doping irregularities from blood transfusions taken at this year's Tour de France. "We possess considerable evidence from blood transfusions. We will only say later who it is," Bordry told German TV station ZDF. Bodry added that anti-doping officials were concentrating on looking for traces of banned blood booster EPO, "but we will soon be able to test the transfusions thanks to a new procedure, and we are going to do these tests.

Dear VeloNews,
Can someone explain this? Sure, I'm happy that Stefan Schumacher and Leonardo Piepoli have been caught using EPO, but can anyone explain why it took three months for these results to show up? It only took a few days to nail Riccardo Riccò for the same infraction. Why did it take so long this time around? Did it really take the lab three months to test those samples?
Robert Wilson
Redwood City, California Hello Robert,

Blood samples taken at the Beijing Olympics are to be reanalyzed for a new variant of the banned blood booster EPO using a new detection system developed for the Tour de France, the IOC announced Wednesday. The retroactive controls are designed to seek out the presence of the new generation of EPO known as CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator).

COMMUNIQUE DE PRESSE PRESS RELEASE Date: 7 octobre / 7 October 2008 Analysis of Tour de France samples by the AFLD: three abnormal results The French Anti-Doping Agency (Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage – AFLD) has informed the International Cycling Union (UCI) of the results of first analyses of repeat tests conducted on samples taken during this year's Tour de France to detect any use of EPO (CERA in particular).

Double Tour de France stage winner Stefan Schumacher is facing a two-year ban and a fine after confirmation of a positive test for EPO (erythrpoietin), the German cycling federation (BDR) said Tuesday. Schumacher was the second rider on Monday to have been exposed as a drugs cheat, following the news that Italian Leonardo Piepoli, who won the race's 10th stage in the Pyrenees, also tested positive for the banned blood booster. The BDR said they would be looking to ban Schumacher, the winner of the Tour's two time trials, for two years.

German cyclist Stefan Schumacher, a double stage winner at this year's Tour de France, has tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO (erythropoietin), according to L'Equipe website on Monday. Gerolsteiner rider Schumacher is the second rider named Monday to be caught using a new generation of EPO called CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator) at this year's race.

Germany's Stefan Schumacher, who won both time trial stages of this year's Tour de France, has signed a two-year contract to ride for Quick Step next season, it was announced on Thursday. With his previous team Gerolsteiner set to disband at the end of the year, the 27-year-old, who won a bronze medal winner at the world road championships in Stuttgart last year, is delighted to sign for the Belgium-based outfit.

Gerolsteiner’s Stefan Schumacher surprised a few observers when he won the stage-four time trial in this year’s Tour de France. Then, he stunned them on Saturday by winning the Tour’s second race against the clock, beating two-time world champion Fabian Cancellara (CSc-Saxo Bank) by 21 seconds on the 53km course. "I did a perfect race,” said the 27-year-old German. “The course was a little bit rolling, which is perfectly suited to me. I got into a good rhythm straight away. There was a tailwind at the start, and afterwards I just kept my head down and focused on the job."

Stefan Schumacher (Gerolsteiner) rode to a dominant — if surprising — victory in stage 4 of the Tour de France on Tuesday, taking the yellow jersey from overnight leader Romain Feillu (Agritubel). The German posted the fastest time by far in the 29.5km individual time trial, 35:44, some 18 seconds faster than green-jersey Kim Kirchen (Team Columbia) and David Millar (Garmin-Chipotle), and a further nine seconds quicker than overall contender Cadel Evans (Silence-Lotto).