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Rider protest marks start of Stage 16
Riders from eight teams staged a sit-down protest against doping before the start of the 16th stage of the Tour de France here Wednesday.
The protest, organized by six French and two German teams, was triggered by the news 24 hours earlier that pre-Tour favourite Alexandre Vinokourov had tested positive for blood doping.
When the stage got underway the riders carrying out the demonstration waited for the rest of the peloton to move off before getting on their own bikes to tackle the last of three days climbing in the Pyrenees.
AG2R's French cyclist Christophe Moreau described the riders' mood in the wake of Vinokourov's positive test as "electric and tense".
Aside from Vinokourov who along with the rest of his Astana team withdrew from the race on Tuesday are the suspicions surrounding yellow jersey leader Michael Rasmussen who has missed a number of out of competition drug tests.
Moreau, when asked about suggestions that Rasmussen too should be removed from the race, said: "The question can be asked".
Moreau's team manager Vincent Lavenu went further, the AG2R boss declaring: "It doesn't seem to me to be unfair to ask Rasmussen to quit the Tour.
"Cycling and the Tour de France is in danger. I don't think Rasmussen has anything left to do on the Tour."
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