PARIS // Stage winners Leonardo Piepoli of Italy and Stefan Schumacher of Germany tested positive for doping from blood samples taken during this year's Tour de France. The pair became the second and third riders to test positive for CERA, an advanced version of the blood booster EPO. Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco has already admitted to CERA use. Between them, the three riders won five stages during the July race - or about a quarter of the 21 stages at cycling's premier race, which has struggled to maintain its credibility after being rocked by doping scandals for three years in a row.
The French Anti-Doping Agency has been retesting blood samples from the race in a bid to catch more cyclists they suspect may have used CERA. The original tests had proved inconclusive. * AP
