French star’s Cortisol levels recovered after low recording at Critérium du Dauphiné
Pierre Rolland (Europcar) has been cleared to race by the French Cycling Federation (FFC), and will be able to start the Tour de France, rcmsport.fr reports. The French climbing star recorded low levels of Cortisol in the latter stages of the Critérium du Dauphiné earlier this month and, while this is not a doping infraction, was forced to take an eight-day rest from racing under the rules of the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC).
Team Europcar doctor Hubert Long told rmcsport.fr that the FFC has confirmed that Rolland’s Cortisol has returned to normal levels.
“We have received a confirmation email from the Federation. Everything is okay,” Long confirmed. “At Europcar, nobody was worried.”
Cortisol levels are tested as part of the MPCC’s health checks, and there are a number of reasons for them to be low in a rider. One possible reason could be the abuse of corticosteroids, but low levels can equally be caused by fatigue and overtraining; for this reason, the suspension of a rider’s racing license is therefore imposed in order for them to rest and recover.
Having had the suspension removed from his license, Rolland will take part in the French championships in Lannilis, Brittany, this weekend, before travelling to Corsica for the Tour’s Grand Depart.
The 26-year-old climber, who has won the blue riband Alpine stage of each of the two previous Tours - on Alpe d’Huez in 2011 and La Toussiure in 2011 - and finished in the top ten both times, will be the sole leader of the Europcar team. So far, only Rolland, Thomas Voeckler, David Veilleux and Cyril Gautier have been confirmed as part of the French team’s line up, with the rest to be announced in the coming days.