Drugs and doping take first toll on 2007 tour.
Italian rider Alessandro Petacchi, who was considered a strong contender for a few flat stage wins and also aspiring to win the Green Jersey has been withdrawn from 2007 Tour de france by his team Milram.
Petacchi is suferring from from Asthma and he is legally allowed to take medicin salbutamol till a critical limit.
During May tests he was found to carry more levels of Salbutamol and was recommended for 1 year ban by Italian Olympic Committee.
The Drug Salbutamol is bronchodilator drug, it dilates the respiratory pipes and makes them flexible so that better oxygen exchange happens in Lung and is frequently used to treat Asthma.
The Italian Olympic committee recommends a 1-year ban on super sprinter Alessandro Petacchi, after Petacchi tested high for the asthma medication salbutamol in May.
Petacchi, who won 5 stages of this year's Giro d'Italia, holds a “therapeutic use exemption,” or TUE, for the otherwise banned substance. With a TUE, he is presumed innocent with salbutamol levels of up to 1,000 nanograms/millileter, but one test reported a level of 1,320 nanograms/millileter. Petacchi pled his case with an official of CONI, the Italian Olympic committee, on Monday.
Petacchi is the leader of the Milram Tour team, which is largely built around delivering him to the front of the pack with 200 meters to the finish line of the race's flat stages.
In light of the recommendation, Milram removed Petacchi from its provisional Tour roster, replacing him with Andrey Grivko of Ukraine.