Vinokourov tests positive, Astana withdraws

French Gendarmes and police officers climb the staircase of the Astana cycling team hotel in Pau as they carry out a search in the rooms of the riders on Tuesday. Leader of the Astana team and Tour de France rider Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for a banned blood transfusion after winning last weekend's time trial, prompting his Astana team to pull out of the race, a team spokeswoman said Tuesday.

? 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.

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.”