Bernhard Kohl, Riccardo Riccò and Moises Dueñas all missed a scheduled hearings with the French Anti-Doping Agency on Thursday. Riccò was represented by his attorney, while the other two were not represented in any way.
Riccò and Dueñas both tested positive during this year's Tour de France: Riccò made history as the first athlete to test positive for a new variant of the blood boosting drug EPO called CERA. He later admitted to having used the drug. Barloworld's Dueñas tested positive for old fashioned EPO.
With the urine test proving successful at catching at least one rider, the AFLD embarked on an unprecedented push to re-test blood samples from the Tour for CERA. The blood test, which is considered to be more reliable at detecting the drug, found Kohl positive twice. Kohl also confessed to using the drug.
All three riders face a two to six-year ban on racing in France. According to the APA press agency, the AFLD indicated that it intends to announce its final decision in about three weeks.
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