German cyclist Stefan Schumacher in an interview with news agency SID has again denied taking CERA, the new breed of EPO, during the 2008 Tour de France. He insists that he has applied for his license for 2009, and will be riding for Team Quick Step.
Schumacher told SID, “I will get my license, and I have a valid contract and clear goals to be successful with Quick Step.” After Schumacher’s positive A-samples were announced Quick-Step team manager Patrick Lefevre said that he was dissolving the contract with the German on that basis.
He took the Tour de France by storm unexpectedly beating Swiss favorite and then reigning World Time-Trial Champion Fabian Cancellara in both races against the clock.
The rider insists that the German Cycling Federation has no reason to refuse his license, “There is not even a case against me,” explained Schumacher to SID. Like many before him, Schumacher has casted doubt on the French anti-doping agency AFLD, and insists the findings of their lab are not consistent with his results. The rider points out his test after winning the first time trail were negative, but it doesn’t make sense to him how other tests during the race came up positive.
Fellow teammate and sensation Bernhard Kohl also tested positive for CERA during the Tour de France and admitted taking the substance.