Former US Postal rider and teammate of Lance Armstrong, David George, has been provisionally suspended after returning an adverse analytical finding for EPO in an out-of-competition test conducted by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport.
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The test was taken on August 29 of this year and the rider has been immediately removed from competition by Cycling South Africa and the African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS).
George did not contest the result.
"On 29th August 2012, I returned an out of competition positive test for Erythropoietin (EPO). I will not be asking for a B sample to be tested as I know the result will ultimately be the same. This decision will be communicated to Cycling South Africa (CSA) and Drug Free Sport shortly and according to protocol.
"I fully understand the consequences of my admission and will bear the results of this. Cycling, as you know, has been a confusing space and although it has given me incredible moments it has also given me experiences that no person or young athlete should have to go through."
George, 36, rode for US Postal in 1999 and 2000. He was released after two years and moved from team to team in Europe, including Tacconi Sport, Barloworld and Relax GAM, for whom he rode the Vuelta in 2006. George rode for a domestic mountain bike team in 2012.