Unending and escalating scandals smacking the Tour de France have provoked the World Anti-Doping Agency for holding a summit to address the issue of drugs in cycling. The offer comes in wake of the lastest indignity posed by the race leader Michael Rasmussen following his withdrawl from the ongoing tour on Wednesday.
Wada chief Dick Pound said:
Recent initiatives are obviously insufficient to deter some riders. We need to hold a meeting urgently to see what more can be done to restore cycling’s credibility and integrity.
The 17th stage went on immaculately, being very free of any doping accusation as Italy’s Daniele Bennati won the sprint claiming his first stage victory. Bennati, riding for the Lampre Fondital team, ended his errand the 188.5 kilometre trek from Pau to Castelsarrasin clocking four hours, fourteen minutes and four seconds.
Markus Fothen of Germany finished second, followed by Martin Elmiger of Switzerland who secured third place. Contador, grabbing the leader’s yellow jersey from Rasmussen who was sacked and sent home by his Rabobank team, spotted to the 20th place.
Still lynching on as a front-runner to the overall lead Contador is ahead of his nearest rival Australia’s Cadel Evans with Levi Leipheimer of the United States placed third.
Evans mere deficit of 1min, 53 seconds confronts a big challenge to the overall leader in today’s chase.
Via: cbc
