CYCLING/TOUR DE FRANCE:THE INNUENDO and rumours that had been swirling around Riccardo Ricco since the start of the Tour de France ended in the most abrupt and dramatic fashion at lunchtime in Lavelanet yesterday.

The 24-year old Italian, a double stage winner in this year's race, had apparently been targeted by the French anti-doping agency and subjected to six controls in the first 10 days.

The news took the gloss off Mark Cavendish's historic third stage win on this Tour, after the 23-year-old Briton stole victory in a dramatic sprint finish.

Yesterday, just minutes before the start of stage 12, the arrival of two police officers confirmed the rumours were true: Ricco had tested positive for a new and hitherto undetectable blood-boosting substance. As he was taken away for questioning, his Saunier Duval team-mates, most of whom had signed on for the stage and were lining up for the start, returned to the team bus and withdrew en masse from the race, with Ricco due to spend the night in jail.

A sample taken after last week's time-trial in Cholet, in which Ricco finished well down, was reported to contain "continuous erythropoiesis receptor activator" (Cera), described as "third-generation EPO".

Prof Michel Audran, a doping expert involved in setting up the International Cycling Union's (UCI) biological passport, said yesterday he was "shocked" the rider had tested positive for a product that has only just become commercially available.

Ricco is the third to test positive on this year's Tour, after Manuel Beltran and Moises Duenas, but he is far and away the biggest name. As well as posting two stage wins, in the Massif Central and the Pyrenees, the rider who calls himself "The Cobra" was ninth overall and sporting the polka-dot King of the Mountains jersey.

The rumours now concern Ricco's team, Saunier Duval, whose climbers Leonardo Piepoli and Juan Jose Cobo placed first and second at the summit finish of Hautacam on Monday. As with Ricco's solo win in Sunday's first Pyrenean stage, it was a performance that raised eyebrows. They were raised further by the decision of the team to withdraw en masse on hearing the fate of their leader.

The Saunier Duval directeur sportif, Joxean Fernandez Matxin, spoke briefly from the steps of the team bus. "He sat and was not able to say anything," he said of the moment Ricco was informed of the positive test. "We didn't want to make a scene with the police. They let us drive him away in the team car, with a police officer accompanying him in the car."

Matxin did not elaborate on the squad's decision to withdraw, saying only: "We will review our options with regard to the future of the team."

In the case of Ricco and Saunier Duval there are loud echoes of last year's doping case concerning Alexandre Vinokourov and Astana. Vinokourov was also a double stage winner, and the leader of his team; and his team responded to the Kazakh's positive for blood doping by withdrawing en masse. Having also been involved in a doping scandal on the 2006 Tour, Astana were not invited to this year's race. Now Saunier Duval face the same fate.

Asked last night if he suspected systematic doping within the Saunier Duval team, Tour director Christian Prudhomme said: "I was pretty disturbed when I saw the superiority of two riders from the same team on the stage to Hautacam," he responded. "Like the rest of you were, I'm sure."

In only his second Tour, Cavendish takes over the British record from Barry Hoban, who won two stages twice, in 1969 and 1973. "It shows people are getting caught," said Cavendish when asked about Ricco. "It's a good thing." ...