Responding to the official team announcement yesterday that he will not be taken on again by the RadioShack Leopard team when his suspension ends nine days from now, Fränk Schleck has protested at the late notification given to him and said that he will consider legal action.
“I still don't understand this decision. Even with the best intentions but I must accept it. How is it that for eleven months I have been waiting and that ten days before my suspension expires, I am no longer part of the team?” he told Wort.lu.
The eldest of the two Schleck brothers tested positive for the banned diuretic Xipamide during last year’s Tour de France. The in competition test was carried out on July 14th, just after the end of stage thirteen of the race. The result of that test was confirmed on July 17th, and he immediately withdrew from the race.
Schleck denied knowingly consuming anything containing Xipamide. The Luxembourg anti-doping agency ALAD ruled on the case on January 30th of this year, and concluded that he had not ingested the substance intentionally. It also said that hair analyses carried out didn’t show any evidence of doping, and that his biological passport was not suspicious.
As a result, he was given a reduced one year ban, as permitted by WADA rules regarding specified substances. He is due to return to competition on July 14th.
Yesterday, he learned that return would not be with his former squad.
“With the end of Fränk Schleck's suspension approaching, Leopard and its partners have assessed the situation in view of a possible renewal of the collaboration with Fränk Schleck,” the Luxembourg team announced. “Having finalized this assessment in a broad and objective way, Leopard has decided to not renew the collaboration between Fränk Schleck and the Radioshack Leopard Trek cycling team.”
Schleck feels this is unfair, particularly because of the short notice, and indicates he won’t accept it. “When the verdict was given, the judges agreed it was not a case of doping and that there was no desire on my part to improve my performance. And now, I am being reproached for doping,” he said. “I will leave it to my lawyers.”