French Cycling Star Fignon Fails Drug Test
Laurent Fignon, the French cycling star who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984, allegedly used a banned stimulant in a Dutch cycling event last month, a newspaper reported today.
The Haagsche Courant said that a doping test after the Grand Prix de la Liberation in Eindhoven on Sept. 17 revealed that Fignon had used amphetamines.
Francois Alaphilippe, president of the French Cycling Federation, confirmed in a statement in Paris that Fignon had tested positive after the event.
In the Eindhoven race, a team event in the World Cup series, Fignon’s French Super U team finished second behind TVM from the Netherlands.
The Haagsche Courant said that Fignon, who finished second in this year’s Tour de France only eight seconds behind American Greg Lemond, had declined to ask for a second test, to which he was entitled under international rules.
The newspaper said Fignon could face a monthlong suspension and a fine of up to $600.
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