Tour de France: A Second Doping, a Mutiny, and Stage 11

A second case of doping has clouded the transitional stage today, as the pack spends several days heading across the hot south towards the Alps. French police detained Spanish rider Moises Duenas in his hotel after he tested positive for EPO.

A search of the rider's room, Team Barloworld announced, revealed some banned medicines not supplied or prescribed by the team doctor. "We're absolutely stunned by what is happening," Barloworld director Claudio Conti said, "and by the behavior of one of our riders. He seems to have secretly used banned substances, hiding everything from everybody else in the team." The bad day for the team was capped by the abandon of climber Felix Cardenas.

In other evidence that cycling is yet to overcome the turmoil of several years of doping scandals, the sport announced yesterday the death of the ProTour series of races. The sport's governing body, UCI, and organizers of the Grand Tours have been in a power struggle with the pro teams over how best to schedule and supervise the races, with anti-doping procedures at the heart of the contentiousness. Boxing and wrestling have some experience with this.

Oh, and the stage went to Norwegian Kurt-Asle Arvesen, part of a 12-man breakaway that was allowed to build a substantial lead of nearly 20 minutes on the yellow jersey and the rest of the peloton. But can the sport break away from EPO?

--Matthew Fishbane