French admin rejects Schumacher's doping appeal

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PARIS (AP) -- France's highest administrative body rejected German cyclist Stefan Schumacher's appeal of his two-year doping ban from competing in the country.

He is also banned from racing worldwide.

Schumacher tested positive for CERA, an advanced form of the blood-booster EPO, after the French Anti-Doping Agency retested samples from the 2008 Tour de France.

Schumacher contested that the retroactive procedure was not approved at the time of retesting, but on Wednesday the Council of State threw out his case.

Schumacher, who won two time trials and wore the leader's yellow jersey during the 2008 Tour, again tested positive for CERA when samples from the 2008 Beijing Olympics were retested.

The Council of State ruled that the AFLD's testing methods "were in order" and it accepted the agency's right to test retroactively, despite Schumacher's complaints over procedure.

In February, the AFLD banned Schumacher from racing in France for two years, with the International Cycling Union following with a worldwide ban until Jan. 21, 2011.

Schumacher is appealing his worldwide ban with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.

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