TdF 2008 samples will be retested

In today's l'Equipe online:

Des échantillons de 2008 retestés - Cyclisme - Tour - L'EQUIPE.FR

Google translation:
The French Agency for the fight against doping (AFLD), which had provided only the management of doping during the Tour de France in 2008, will proceed in September and October to new retrospective analysis on the Great Loop of last year. Pierre Bordry, president of the AFLD, was submitted to Monaco in the hours before the prologue of the Tour in 2009 an official letter to the riders involved in these tests. The AFLD was unwilling to transmit the identity of the latter, but according to our information, they are a fortnight in the viewfinder, all concentrated among the top twenty of the classification of the Tour in 2008 and have been targeted as a result of the code d information on the various.

The new analysis of the CERA, the third generation EPO effects delays - which had already caused four cases positive * during the months of July and September 2008 on the last tour - and will be performed on blood samples in question, which were perfectly preserved . For various reasons, including financial analysis conducted back in September last year could not be extended to all the riders targeted. They will be at the beginning of the next and probably promise some surprises to come for those involved. The latter, who have all received the document from the AFLD by hand in Monaco, have carefully refrained from mentioning the issue publicly during the Tour which ends today. - Damien RESSIOT

* Riccardo Ricco, Leonardo Piepoli, Stefan Schumacher and Bernhard Kohl.

This policy of preserving samples for future testing could have some real teeth in deterring doping, as the riders and doctors have to contend not only with current detection methods, but future methods as well. If done properly, that stops the dopers from always being one step ahead of the testers. But it will be a great deterrent only if the positive results carry similar penalties to a positive result during a race. So if Sastre tests positive, will they strip his Tour victory? Would he have to pay back money? Would he face suspension/ban?

Does anyone know how long the rules require they keep samples for? Did they start this only in 2008? Or do they have 2007 samples (I'm thinking Contador)? Anyway, they'll have 2009 samples from Contador, Schleck, Armstrong, Wiggins - will be interesting what shows up in those blood samples in a few years time.