Sylvain Georges on the attack (Image credit: Sirotti)

Ag2r-La Mondiale have sacked Sylvain Georges in the wake of his positive test for the stimulant heptaminol during last month’s Giro d’Italia. Georges is still awaiting sanction from the French Cycling Federation.

“He’s no longer part of our team,” Ag2r manager Vincent Lavenu told AFP. “We have strict internal rules and there was a definite breach.”

Georges tested positive for heptaminol after stage 7 of the Giro and acknowledged that the substance could be traced to his use of the non-prescription medicine Ginkor Fort, which he says he took to improve circulation in his legs. “I did not study the composition of the drug and did not consult the team doctor before taking it: stupid,” Georges said at the time.

After analysis of Georges’ B-sample confirmed the positive, Ag2r-La Mondiale withdrew from their next WorldTour race, the Critérium du Dauphiné, as per Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) regulations. MPCC teams pledge to suspend themselves in the event of two positive tests within a twelve month period, and the Georges case followed Steve Hounard’s positive test for EPO last September.

Ag2r-La Mondiale returned to action at the Tour de Suisse and Lavenu told AFP that the team is planning to launch a new internal testing regime in response to the Houanard and Georges positives.

“We know very well that our team can’t make any more mistakes,” Lavenu said. “We’re going to put random internal controls in place. A team leader already has 15 to 20 controls a year, including those for the biological passport.”

