Sylvain Georges positive for Heptaminol

Sylvain Georges (Ag2R La Mondiale) has returned a positive test for Heptaminol, according to the UCI. The sport’s governing body announced the news on the same morning that Georges failed to start stage 11 of the Giro d’Italia, with the results returned by WADA’s accredited lab in Rome.

The positive test was collected in a routine test carried out on May 10 and Georges has the right to request and attend the analysis of his B sample. Heptaminol is on WADA's banned substances list and is used to relax muscles and to treat low blood pressure.

The 29-year-old won a stage of the Tour of California in 2012 and finished second in Paris - Camembert earlier this season.

The UCI Anti-Doping Rules do not impose a provisional suspension given the nature of the substance, which is a specified substance.

 The last professional rider to test positive for the stimulant was Dmitriy Fofonov in the 2008 Tour de France. He was handed a three-month suspension.

Georges' team has yet to release a statement.