Cofidis respond to Di Gregorio's claims of innocence

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The Cofidis team has clarified why it ended Remi Di Gregorio's contract after he was arrested by French police during last year's Tour de France, revealing that the former Paris-Nice stage winner was sacked because he broke the rules of the team by working with external medical experts without the permission of the team.

“I’ve never doped. I rode for teams like FDJ and Cofidis which use the biological passport to attract riders. There were never any abnormalities in these documents. I was tested several times and I’ve never tested positive. Apparently some wanted to show that Di Gregorio doped himself, they found no evidence whatsoever,” he said.

Cofidis responded with a solemn statement.

"We've learned of the partial lifting of the judicial review of Remy di Gregorio's case and that he is now allowed to return to competition. However Remy di Gregorio is still under investigation regarding the use of doping products and methods. The judicial system has still not decided on the merits of the charges against him," the statement reads.

"This new situation does not change our position regarding the decision to terminate Remy di Gregorio's contract that was based on the evidence brought to our attention at the time. We decided to end our ties with the rider because he had broken the rules of the team, and violated the trust that we had given him, using means and consulting with medical experts that were not authorized by the medical staff of the team. He has not contested this fact."

The Cofidis team seems unperturbed about Di Gregorio's possible legal action.

"We will leave it to the courts to decide the validity of the reasons for the early termination of Mr. Di Gregorio's contract," the statement concluded.