Orthez, France - Dozens of riders in the Tour de France staged a brief sit-down protest on Wednesday, just before the 16th stage of the race got underway, about 15 minutes behind schedule, in the city of Orthez. The riders, many of whom were members of French teams, were expressing their displeasure after Kazakh rider Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for an illegal blood transfusion before Saturday's individual time trial, which he won.
Vinokourov's Astana team immediately suspended him and then dropped out of the race, leaving 151 riders left in the Tour.
In addition, spectators whistled in protest as the current race leader, Michael Rasmussen of Denmark, rode past them.
Rasmussen's presence in the Tour is contested, as he missed two out-of-competition doping tests in spring, of which Tour organizers were not informed until well after the race had begun.
This latest doping scandal is certain to overshadow what is certainly the most difficult and potentially the most exciting stage of this year's Tour.
The grueling 218.5-kilometre course from Orthez to Gourette-Col d'Aubisque traverses five difficult climbs. Two of them are rated beyond category in difficulty, the highest ranking, including the final ascent of 17 kilometres to the finish line, which is situated at an altitude of 1,709 metres.
The Tour has come down to a race between two riders, Rasmussen and the 24-year-old Spaniard Alberto Contador. The 33-year-old Rasmussen leads Contador by 2:23 minutes in the overall standings.
If the Spaniard is able to whittle his deficit down to 1 minute, he stands an excellent chance of winning the Tour in Saturday's 19th stage, an individual time trial of 55 kilometres.
The Tour ends Sunday in Paris.
