Associated Press
VILLIE-MORGON, France -- The longtime problem of doping hit the Tour de France head-on when a French rider was arrested at his team hotel and suspended by his team Tuesday.
Police made their move on the Tour’s first rest day in arresting Cofidis cyclist Remy Di Gregorio, with judicial officials saying two other people suspected of supplying the Frenchman with banned substances were also arrested -- one along with the rider in Bourg-en-Bresse, and another in Marseille.
The officials requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly as the investigation is ongoing.
Cycling’s premier showcase event has long been dogged by doping scandals.
Two-time winner Alberto Contador of Spain is sitting out this year to serve a doping ban from the 2010 race, while seven-time Tour champion Lance Armstrong has been charged with participating in a vast conspiracy by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. The American has declared his innocence and is asking a federal court to block USADA’s case.
Di Gregorio’s arrest comes after an investigation that began last June and is led by the French police agency responsible for doping investigations, OCLAESP, and Marseille police.
"[The police] have followed Remy’s actions for a good while," Cofidis manager Yvon Sanquer said at a news conference. "If I had ever been aware or anyone else had been aware, Remy’s
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