Luca Paolini tests positive for cocaine at Tour de France

Katusha rider Luca Paolini of Italy cycles during the 191.5-km (118.9 miles) 6th stage of the 102nd Tour de France cycling race from Abbeville to Le Havre, France, July 9, 2015.

He can now request a B sample and his provisional suspension will last until the hearing of his case. I apologise to all my fellow riders and certainly to the Tour de France, knowing that the timing of this was not appropriate, especially with the high concentration of the media.

FOUGERES, France — Italian rider Luca Paolini from Russian team Katusha was thrown out of the Tour de France on Friday after testing positive for cocaine during the race.

The use of cocaine outside of competition is not banned but when taken in competition it is considered a doping substance.

“Team Katusha has been informed tonight by the UCI that Italian rider Luca Paolini has been notified of an Adverse Analytical Finding”.

“The presence of cocaine has been detected in a sample”, the team said.

“In accordance with UCI anti-doping Rules, the rider has been provisionally suspended until the adjudication of the affair”, the UCI said in a statement. His expulsion reduces the number of riders in the Tour to 185.

“I apologise to my team-mates and the fantastic Team Katusha and I hope that my absence is not detrimental to a good result…”

“Bearing in mind the anti doping regulations, the team will wait until the analysis of the B sample has been conducted before taking any further action or making any further comment”.

Paolini won the prestigious cobbled classic race Gent-Wevelgem in April, perhaps the best result of his career and coming at the age of 38.

The Mur de Bretagne sees a similar finish to Monday’s climb up the Mur de Huy, where Froome was second behind Spaniard Joaquim Rodriguez but gained a handful of seconds on his main rivals, reigning champion Vincenzo Nibali, two-time ex- victor Alberto Contador and 2014 Giro d’Italia laureate Nairo Quintana.