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Radioshack’s Li Fuyu fails doping test

Armstrong teammate tests positive, now faces the sack

China's cycling authority has confirmed that Li Fuyu, Lance Armstrong's RadioShack teammate and China’s first professional cyclist, has failed a doping test.

The 31-year-old rider was provisionally suspended by the UCI in April after Clenbuterol was found in his 'A' sample following an in-competition test during the Dwars Door Vlaanderen in Belgium the previous month. Now his 'B' sample has been returned positive too.

"Now there is no doubt of him being not positive for doping," Zhang Bin, secretary-general of the Chinese Cycling Association, was quoted as saying on China Daily.

"No matter what his excuse was, and no matter how prominent he is in China cycling, the result has been confirmed and it is impossible to change."

China is expected to let the UCI know this month about what punishment it will impose. Zhang didn’t reveal the possible penalty, but China’s anti-doping policy would suggest Li will probably face a two-year ban.

Li joined RadioShack in the close season. His team said in April that he would be removed if the test were confirmed.

Both the UCI and RadioShack were unavailable for comment.

Lifelong lover of most things cycling-related, from Moulton Mini adventures in the 70s to London bike messengering in the 80s, commuting in the 90s, mountain biking in the noughties and road cycling throughout. Editor of Simpson Magazine (www.simpsonmagazine.cc). 

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5 comments

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Fish_n_Chips | 13 years ago
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The reasons for a 2 year ban is there is a probability tests can be false positive.

If you ban someone for life and the test is rubbished in 5 years time then you could expect the rider to sue UCI for lost revenue of millions and defaming their name.

I've seen scientists false reporting their Data many times like an accountant.

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Steve.GiantTCR | 13 years ago
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Agree with last comment. No incentive for teams to stay clean. Amazing this guy could think he could get away with it! 2 year ban? How about for life??

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simonmb | 13 years ago
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Doping - If the UCI truly has the appetite for stopping drug use, they'll have to make the teams jointly accountable. What's going to happen in Radio Shack's case? Li goes out - another rider comes in. Li will soon be forgotten. They'll hope that the new rider won't get ever caught in the same situation (which is different to hoping that he's not using drugs). If the juiced rider's team were also suitably punished there'd be a wholesale change in the sport. Each and every pro-team is better resourced and organised than the UCI and it would be well within a team's capability to stop drug use overnight. What will do it for them won't be an attack of conscience, instead it will be an attack on their funding. A suspended team, or one which finds its licence revoked, won't attract a sponsor. And, under those circumstances, who'd want to be the rider that let their whole team down?

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crunch61 | 13 years ago
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A Chinese "sportsman" taking drugs - what a surprise... Drug takers make me  31

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Alankk | 13 years ago
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What a disappointment.

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