Astana under investigation in France

Originally Posted by nytimes.com

French prosecutors announced Tuesday they have launched a preliminary investigation into several teams at the 2009 Tour de France to determine if riders on those squads used performance enhancing drugs or methods.

Prosecutors in Paris told the Associated Press that medical equipment collected from teams during the three-week race included “suspicious” material, which was then seized. Under French law, a preliminary investigation is done to determine if a formal investigation is warranted.

The investigation became public Tuesday, on the eve of Tour officials unveiling the route for the 2010 race, which will begin in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. A spokeswoman for Paris prosecutors said that the medical equipment is being analyzed by scientists “to determine whether we can find illegal substances and DNA that could possibly link it to riders,” the Associated Press reported.

Originally Posted by cyclingnews.com

Two and a half months after the Tour de France, public prosecution in Paris has opened a preliminary investigation against the Astana team, whose rider Alberto Contador won the event. The object of the investigation is the content of several syringes that the squad disposed of at the event, according to L'Equipe.

At the Tour de France, organiser Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) provides the teams with special containers to collect medical waste. The Central Office against environmental damage and public health (OCLAESP) has opened the proceedings after discovering several "suspect" syringes in the containers that belonged to the Astana team during the race.