The Colombian professional cyclist Nairo Quintana was subsequently disqualified from this year’s Tour de France because of the forbidden intake of a painkiller, as the world association UCI announced.
Quintana had placed sixth on the Tour. The mountain specialist was not banned and can start as planned in the Tour of Spain, which begins in Utrecht on Friday.
The opiate tramadol was detected in two dried blood samples from the 32-year-old from July 8th and 13th. According to the UCI, this is not a doping offence, but a violation of the medical rules of the association. Tramadol has been banned by the UCI since March 1 due to its side effects, but is not on the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA’s banned list.
As part of a program to detect tramadol, 120 so-called dried blood samples were taken during the tour. Quintana can appeal against the verdict within ten days before the International Court of Arbitration for Sport Cas.