Tour reels from Vinokourov’s positive test

PAU, France – Cycling and its premier event, the Tour de France, were reeling Tuesday from yet another blow that threatened what was left of the event’s credibility: a failed doping test by one of its biggest stars.

Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for a banned blood transfusion after winning last weekend’s time trial, prompting his Astana team to pull out and sending police on a raid of the team hotel.

Tour director Christian Prudhomme said that although the race would go on, the latest drug case showed cycling’s testing system doesn’t work.

“It’s an absolute failure of the system,” he said. “It is a system which does not defend the biggest race in the world. This is a system which can’t last.”

Even before Tuesday’s bombshell, Tour leader Michael Rasmussen was battling doping suspicions because he skipped drug controls before the Tour start. He still seems likely to claim victory in Paris on Sunday.

All this on top of the lingering scandal involving 2006 champion Floyd Landis, who was unable to defend his crown because he failed a drug test during last year’s Tour.

“It’s almost impossible to be at the front of the pack these days without doping,” said Dick Pound, president of the World Anti-Doping Agency and a frequent critic of the way cycling is managed.

Blond-haired, blue-eyed Vinokourov, who placed third in the 2003 Tour, is a fan favorite, admired for his grit, determination and string of stage wins at this and previous Tours.

He had been considered a prerace favorite to win, but crashed in the first week of the three-week race. With stitches in both knees, he struggled for a few days but recovered to win stages Saturday and Monday – a turnaround that now seems too good to be true.

His positive test was announced by his team, whose manager, Marc Biver, said Vinokourov was sent home. The backup B-sample test results were expected by the end of the week.

“Alexandre denies having manipulated his blood,” Biver said, adding that the rider believed his crash may have resulted in “blood anomalies in his body.”

Pat McQuaid, president of cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, said he couldn’t comment as long as the backup B-sample result wasn’t confirmed.

“We have a process in place, and we have to see this process through,” he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.

Many of cycling’s recent stars have been tainted by drug allegations.

Jan Ullrich, the 1997 winner, retired after he was linked to a doping ring in Spain.

Italian Ivan Basso, once seen as the next big thing after Lance Armstrong, is serving a doping ban.

Even Armstrong’s seven consecutive wins are widely viewed by many in France with suspicion.