Ricco doubts validity of Tour drugs test

ROME (Reuters) - Italy's Riccardo Ricco said he has doubts about the validity of the test that detected the blood-boosting drug EPO in his system during the Tour de France. Ricco, runner-up in the Giro d'Italia and winner of two stages on the Tour, tested positive after the fourth stage of the race. He has denied any wrongdoing. "It's necessary to wait for the counter-analysis, then see if the method they used to do the test is valid," the 24-year-old was quoted as saying in Sunday's La Gazzetta dello Sport. "I don't think it's 100 percent certain." His Saunier Duval team pulled out of the Tour following the announcement by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) and sacked Ricco along with fellow Italian Leonardo Piepoli. Ricco has returned to Italy after being interviewed by an investigating magistrate on Friday and spending... [read full story]