Lars Boom, one of the reigning Tour de France champion Vicenzo Nibali’s most experienced lieutenants on the Astana team, could be excluded from this year’s race after returning cortisol levels below the normal level.
The Dutchman, 29, was revealed to have posted an abnormally low cortisol level after tests by the governing body, the UCI, on all riders competing in the 2015 race. Astana, under scrutiny since being threatened with having their racing licence removed earlier this year, immediately reported the discrepancy to the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC).
“MPCC has received notice of the anonymous results of its 14 team members starting the race, on Friday afternoon,” read a statement on their website.
“Its results having shown an abnormally low cortisol level, Team Astana has immediately reported Roger Legeay, President of MPCC, the identity of the rider concerned (Lars Boom). According to article nine of MPCC regulation, in case of abnormally low cortisol levels, competition will resume after an additional eight-day rest minimum, and back-to-normal cortisol levels.
“MPCC would like to remind that cortisol level tests are carried out within the framework of health, not antidoping.”
According to L’Equipe, the Astana team will not be allowed to replace Boom because the results arrived after the cut-off point. The paper stated that general manager Alexander Vinokourov asked for a replacement, the Italian Alessandro Vanotti, to take Boom’s spot but his request was rejected. “Either the UCI allows us to replace Boom or he starts with us. So much for the MPCC,” Vinokourov was quoted as saying. “At 14.00 on 3 July, the Astana Pro Team received analyses from the UCI’s independent antidoping agency CADF from blood tests administered to its nine Tour de France riders on 2 July,” read a statement from Astana.
“According to the CADF notification, rider Lars Boom has a healthy and permissable level of cortisol for the Tour de France that is however too low for applicable standards from the MPCC.
“Astana asked the UCI to authorise the activation of named reserve rider Alessandro Vanotti to the Tour de France squad in order to start on 4 July. Official registration of riders for the 2015 Tour de France closed at 10.30 on 3 July at the sport directors’ meeting, before the CADF notification.
“Alessandro Vanotti will arrive in the Netherlands Saturday morning to undergo physical and blood tests and await a UCI decision on the matter.”
The UCI moved to revoke Astana’s licence in February after an audit of the team’s anti-doping procedures carried out by the Institute of Sports Science at the University of Lausanne. However that was reversed in May after they were found to have shown sufficient signs of progress.
Boom was earmarked to play a significant role for Astana in this year’s race, having won stage five on the pavé last year. The MPCC was established in 2007 at the instigation of the professional teams that decided to take a zero tolerance stand against doping in the sport.
