According to the regulations, the use of the substance, which can lead to nausea, drowsiness and reduced concentration, is not a violation of the doping regulations. Because it is also the first time that Quintana (32) has been caught, no suspension follows. The Colombian can therefore start on Friday in the Vuelta a España. He can still appeal the disqualification in the Tour to the CAS sports tribunal within ten days.
The UCI decided to ban tramadol because it can also lead to falls in the peloton. A first violation will result in disqualification and a fine of 5000 Swiss francs (about 5150 euros). If a rider is caught again, a suspension of five months follows. A team of which two riders are caught within a period of one year will be fined 10,000 Swiss francs (more than 10,300 euros). Another violation in the same period will result in a suspension of the team. It can range from one to twelve months.
Fingertip
The UCI has hired the International Testing Agency (ITA) to conduct testing across all disciplines of cycling. They are relatively simple, because a small amount of blood from a fingertip is enough to check. 120 checks for tramadol were carried out in the Tour de France. As far as is known, Quintana is the first cyclist to be punished for using the banned painkiller.
Quintana denies
Quintana denies taking the banned painkiller tramadol. “That announcement came as a surprise,” he said in a statement. “I am completely unaware of the use of this substance and I deny that I have used it during my career.” The Colombian has engaged lawyers to defend himself.
On Tuesday, his team announced that the Colombian climber’s contract has been extended by three years. Arkéa-Samsic has not yet responded to the UCI’s message.
Kooij loses leader’s jersey in Denmark in time trial
As expected, Olav Kooij was only able to enjoy the light blue leader’s jersey in the Tour of Denmark for one day. The 20-year-old Dutchman from Jumbo-Visma, who won the first stage in the bunch sprint on Tuesday, lost first place in the general classification in the time trial over 12.2 kilometers around Assens. The American Magnus Sheffield (Ineos Grenadiers) won the stage against the clock and took over the leader’s jersey from Kooij.
A day after his stage win in Køge, Kooij was the number 1 in the standings to start last in the time trial. The sprinter from Numansdorp gave almost 2 minutes to 20-year-old Sheffield, the winner of the Brabantse Pijl who completed the flat course in 13 minutes and 35 seconds.
The Tour of Denmark consists of five stages and lasts until Saturday. Thursday is a ride over almost 240 kilometers on the program, from Otterup to Herning over an uneven track with a few climbs.