Tour de FranceIn the first move of its kind by any of the broadcasters that cover the Tour de France, the German state television channels ARD and ZDF are to leave the race today and, for the time being, stop covering it following a positive drugs test by the German cyclist Patrick Sinkewitz. Nicolas Brender, the head editor of ZDF, said, "We cannot show an event with teams and riders who are suspected of doping."
The broadcasters, which cover the race jointly, have been a massive presence at the race since 1997, when Jan Ullrich gave Germany its first win in the Tour.
They had thought long and hard before covering this year's race after Ullrich's implication in the Operation Puerto blood-doping scandal and revelations of doping by German cyclists in recent months.
The German Cycling Union, the BDR, said yesterday possible signs of abuse of the male hormone testosterone had been detected in a urine sample taken from Sinkewitz while he was training with his team, T-Mobile, in the Pyrenees on June 8th.
Analysis of the B sample will take place if requested by the cyclist within four days.
The 26-year-old domestique, who has now been suspended by T-Mobile, was forced to pull out on Sunday after a freak accident in the Alps and is in hospital in Hamburg.
"It's not possible. I know nothing about it," said Sinkewitz yesterday to the German news service DPA from hospital. "I am about to have surgery. I can't deal with it now."
T-Mobile managers said yesterday the cyclist would be fired if he admitted taking performance enhancers or if the second sample produced similar results.
"We support the test procedure and we support the sanctions even if it is an athlete of our team. It's good to see that it (the fight against doping) works," said T-Mobile's manager, Bob Stapleton.
A team spokesman said officials ruling nothing out.
The decision to suspend live coverage on the ARD and ZDF public networks is a serious blow to the image of the sport in cycling-mad Germany. The country's passion for cycling is attributable in large part to the high profile of the T-Mobile team.
In May, the former team captain Bjarne Riis admitted he won the 1996 Tour de France while taking drugs. Six other former team members also admitted the practice. The team's 1997 tour winner, Ullrich, retired from cycling in disgrace in February after allegations of links to a Spanish doping ring. He denies taking illegal performance-enhancing drugs.
The broadcasters' decision was criticised by the German Linus Gerdemann, whose stage win on Saturday had, temporarily, revitalised Germany's passion for the Tour. Gerdemann said, "The controls are working, they are catching guys, so I'm sorry that (the TV stations) are going. If the B sample is positive, then that's sad and completely stupid. Playing with his job and his employers is not tolerable."
T-Mobile is the biggest sponsor of professional cycling and its €14-million team includes the British riders Roger Hammond and Mark Cavendish.
The company will now examine its future in the sport. The positive test, if confirmed, would be damaging for the team, relaunched following Ullrich's ejection from last year's Tour.
T-Mobile put the emphasis on young riders, revamped management, an ethical charter and strict internal dope testing.
But Sinkewitz is the second rider in "New T-Mobile" to face the sack: the team fired the time-triallist Serhiy Honchar this season after tests showed abnormalities in his blood.
The round of doping scandals has made massive waves in German sport. The running of this year's world road race championships in Stuttgart is in doubt after the federal government said it might rethink its sponsorship, while the International Rheinland-Pfalz, a major stage race, is also in jeopardy and one newspaper, the Berliner Zeitung, refused to cover this year's Tour.
The sponsor of Germany's second professional team in the Tour, the Gerolsteiner mineral water company, had described its future involvement as "50-50" at the start of the race.
Yesterday's stage finished here outside the Stade Velodrome, the venue that so frequently smiles on France's rugby players, and it gave the hosts their first win of the race, Cedric Vasseur leading in five escapees 10 years after his previous stage win, at La Chatre.
The lanky nordiste, riding his last Tour at almost 37, made his final attack up the blind side, stealing a march on the other four by beginning his sprint in the right-hand gutter as they looked to the left.
He clung on, just, as his compatriot Sandy Casar dragged himself to within a tyre's width.
After the Alpine passes this week, the Tour men have to contend with high temperatures as they cross the south of France. Among those suffering most is David Millar, who has a skin rash caused by sunlight and sweat.
Geraint Thomas is also suffering. "The first 70 kilometres was terrible," he said. "If I have another day like this I don't think I'll make it (to Paris)."
Yesterday the temperature was well over 30 Celsius and today at the finish in Montpellier the humidity will be 60 per cent.
In Germany the heat will be on cycling in a different sense.
