L’Equipe, known for their inside track on positive doping results, has said that there could be four to seven more doping cases from samples taken at the Tour of Romandie and the Tour de Suisse.

They said they are not biological passport cases, but from positive controls taken during the two races.

UCI spokesman Enrico Carpani did not deny the possibility telling the German press agency dpa, “I cannot confirm that there will be further riders prevented from starting the Tour because of positive doping tests.”

Dutchman Thomas Dekker was caught yesterday with a positive control for EPO from a 2007 sample that was re-tested because of irregularities in the cyclist’s biological passport, according to the UCI.