One-year suspension for Sinkewitz

German rider Patrik Sinkewitz has received a suspension of one year for testing positive for the banned hormone testosterone on June 8, 2007, the Bund Deutscher Radfahrer (BDR, the German cycling federation) announced Friday morning. The suspension was backdated to when the positive was made public this summer, so that it will end on July 17, 2008. He has also been ordered to pay a fine of 40,000 Euro.

In a press release issued today, the BDR also noted that Sinkewitz is now belatedly disqualified from both the Tour de France and the Tour de Suisse, and must return to the race organisers any prizes he received during those two races.

Sinkewitz tested positive during a T-Mobile Team training camp before the Tour de France this year. The results were announced during the Tour de France, and made German TV broadcasters ARD and ZDF stop their live transmission of the race. Sinkewitz waived the opening of the B sample and made a confession, hoping that his cooperation with the BDR would bring him the reduced one-year ban, instead of the usual two years.