Posted at 6:05 a.m., Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Cycling: Schumacher had amphetamines in blood
Associated Press
BERLIN — Stefan Schumacher, one of Germany's top young cyclists, had amphetamines in his blood when he was stopped for drunken driving last year, police said today.The German cycling federation is now trying to determine if police discovering amphetamines in Schumacher's system instead of sports authorities constitutes a doping violation in sport.
"Our lawyers are looking at the case. This won't be swept under the rug," the federation said.
The 26-year-old Gerolsteiner rider was pulled over by police in Stuttgart on Oct. 7, six days after he won a road race bronze medal at the cycling world championships.
Amphetamine use in competition has been banned by world cycling authorities since 1967. The German athletics federation said the incident would be considered doping under its rules, while a judge for the Court of Arbitration for Sport said it depended on the cycling federation's regulations.
Gerolsteiner team boss Hans-Michael Holczer called the issue a private, legal matter and said no action will be taken by the team.
Schumacher's lawyer, Michael Lehner, said the police findings may be contested.
"This doesn't have anything to do with doping. He celebrated his world championships success with friends in a Stuttgart disco," Lehner said. "A minimum trace of amphetamines were found, just above the limit. It's not clear how the amphetamine got into his body."
