Frei given lifetime ban from Swiss national teams

Thomas Frei will never ride for a Swiss national team again. The national federation, Swiss Cycling, made that decision after the former BMC rider was suspended for two years after testing positive for EPO.

“Because of this, Thomas Frei is excluded from the Swiss Cycling national team for his entire life. If Frei returns to professional cycling, he would not be nominated by Swiss Cycling for any international competitions like World championships and Olympic games,” the federation said in a statement issued Tuesday.

The Federation “represents a clear anti-doping stance and fights for doping-free cycling,” it said. “In relation to doping violations, the Swiss cycling federation follows a strict line without any tolerance.”

Frei tested positive for EPO at an out-of-competition test in March, and was suspended for two years last month. The former BMC rider confessed to having given himself a micro-dose of EPO the evening before the test and revealed that he had been doping since the summer of 2008.