Tour de San Luis winner Marco Arriagada has tested positive for an anabolic substance. It is understood that the Chilean returned the positive test en route to overall victory in his national tour in early February. He has denied any wrongdoing.
“I deny it emphatically,” Arriagada told emol.com from the Dominican Republic, where he finished third in last week’s Vuelta Independencia Nacional.
“I’m returning to Chile to perform all the tests to prove my innocence,” he continued. “The Federation informed me and now we have to see with my lawyers.”
Arriagada has dominated the Latin American calendar since the turn of the year, with wins in Argentina, Chile and the Dominican Republic. His Tour de San Luis victory was particularly noteworthy, as the 35-year-old saw off a field including the likes of José Serpa, Xavier Tondo and Ivan Basso to take overall honours.
Arriagada is set to arrive in Chile on Tuesday evening ahead of the counter-analysis of his sample.