Doping Scandals at This Year's Tour de France

Here are some details of the multiple scandals to have hit the Tour which was won on Sunday by Spaniard Alberto Contador.

T-Mobile Tour de France rider Patrik Sinkewitz has withdrawn a request for a second sample to be tested after his initial positive result for elevated levels of testosterone led the team to suspend him, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

Here are some details of the multiple scandals to have hit the Tour which was won on Sunday by Spaniard Alberto Contador:

* LATEST SCANDAL:

-- German Patrik Sinkewitz was suspended earlier this month after a test taken in June tested positive for elevated levels of testosterone. He withdrew a request for the B sample to be tested on Tuesday.

-- Sinkewitz, who pulled out of the Tour with a broken nose and a shoulder injury following a crash with a spectator after the eighth stage, faces a two-year suspension and could be fined a year's salary.

* CRISIS ON TOUR:

-- Spanish rider Iban Mayo, who finished the race in 16th place, was suspended by his team Saunier Duval on Monday after cycling's governing body confirmed traces of erythropoietin (EPO) in a sample taken on the July 24 rest day.

-- Michael Rasmussen was sacked by Rabobank on July 25 while leading the race after the Dutch team said he had lied about his training whereabouts in June, an allegation the Dane denies.

-- Rabobank, however, decided that the rest of the team were to continue in the Tour. Rasmussen had already received two warnings from the International Cycling Union (UCI) for failing to provide the sport's governing body with his training schedule.

-- Cofidis announced on July 25 they were pulling out of the Tour de France following Italian Cristian Moreni's positive test for testosterone.

-- Moreni, who was arrested by the French gendarmerie, failed a dope test after the Tour's 11th stage from Marseille to Montpellier. He is due to appear before Italy's anti-doping body on Aug. 8.

-- Pre-race favourite Alexander Vinokourov tested positive for blood doping after winning a time trial on July 21. The Kazakh's Astana team left the Tour and confirmed on Monday that they had sacked Vinokourov, who denies any wrongdoing.