Great Britain’s Simon Yates will miss the Tour de France after being handed a four-month sanction by the UCI for a ‘non-intentional anti-doping rule violation’.
Yates failed a doping test back in March, for asthma medication Terbutaline, with his Orica-GreenEDGE team immediately taking responsibility for the administrative error which led to the adverse finding.
Though declared on the forms given at his doping test, the team doctor had failed to apply for a TUE (therapeutic use exemption).
And while the UCI have accepted Orica-GreenEDGE’s version of events, the Bury-born rider, 23, has been handed a four-month sanction, expiring on Monday July 11 – a week after the Tour de France starts.
As a result, Yates will miss the race, which would have been his third consecutive appearance, and instead return to the professional peloton for the Tour of Poland later that week.
Orica-GreenEDGE general manager Shayne Bannan said: “Simon has been given a four-month sanction by the UCI given the administrative error in not having a required TUE for his asthma inhaler at Paris-Nice.
“The team has taken full responsibility for this all along and we look forward to seeing Simon back racing.
“It has been an unfortunate break due to circumstances that Simon cannot be blamed, but above all, we are happy that is has now come to a conclusion.
“Simon has been training well and we welcome him back on the roster for a strong second part of the season.”
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