Kopp suspended one year for cocaine use

Former Gerolsteiner and Cycle Collstrop rider David Kopp has been given a one-year suspension for cocaine use by the Flemish cycling federation. The ban was post-dated and expires on December 31 of this year.

Kopp, 30, tested positive for cocaine at a Belgian national race on September 11, 2008. The German denied having intentionally using the drug, and said that someone must have spiked his drink at a club two days earlier.

He called the suspension “a fair result.”

Kopp had already retired when he was informed of the positive test, but has since decided to return to racing. He is looking for a new team for the coming year. “I will be happy if someone gives me the chance to return to pro cycling,” he told radsport-news.com

He turned pro in 2001, and rode with Teams Telekom, Lamonta, Wiesenhof, Gerolsteiner and Cycle Collstrop. Kopp's biggest success was winning Rund um Köln in 2005.