Spanish Federation won't re-open Mayo case

The Spanish Cycling Federation (RFEC) has officially rejected a request from the International Cycling Union (UCI) to re-open the Iban Mayo case, after the sport's world governing received a second opinion on the B sample taken from Mayo in the 2007 Tour de France. Mayo's A sample tested positive for EPO (Erythropoietin) shortly after the Tour last year, however results of his B sample, tested in the first instance by Belgium's national anti-doping lab in Gent last October returned an inconclusive result, clearing the rider of any wrong doing.

However the UCI, not convinced by the Gent lab's findings, sought a second opinion on the sample. It had the French Châtenay-Malabry lab, whose practices came under scrutiny after Floyd Landis' positive sample from the 2006 Tour, test the sample which returned a positive reading in mid-December.

RFEC, however, has stated that the second testing is illegal, describing it as being "in contrast to the principles of justice", and that re-opening the case would be double jeopardy.

"We wrote to the UCI on December 28 to inform them that the competition committee could not reopen [the Iban Mayo file]," explained Eugenio Bermudez, general secretary of the RFEC. "No one can be tried twice for the same facts ".

The UCI has appealed the matter with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) where the matter is expected to be resolved in Lausanne, Switzerland

"We supported Mayo and we will continue to do," added Bermudez.