The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has upheld the World Anti-Doping Agency’s two-year ban on Iban Mayo following the 2007 Tour de France when he posted positive results in a urine test for EPO.  The news tarnishes an otherwise stellar few months for Spanish cyclists (TDF win, Gold Medal).  Unfortunately, there have been a few bad apples: Moises Duenas Nevado and Manuel Beltran tested positive at the Tour for third-generation EPO, also known as CERA, and Maria Isabel Moreno was caught using it at the Olympic village in Beijing.
UCI president Pat McQuaid had this to say:
“The Spanish federation have constantly defended athletes who have been involved in doping cases,†McQuaid told The Associated Press on Tuesday before the Mayo verdict was published. “They have been light in the way they’ve treated doping cases.â€Â
Mayo’s ban should end in late July, 2009.  More on this here and here.
