The career of rising Italian cycling star Riccardo Ricco' crashed Thursday after he was found positive for blood-booster EPO at the Tour de France and arrested by French gendarmes.
Ricco', who had likened himself to idol Marco Pantani after his second Tour stage win, was led away from the start of the 12th stage through a jeering crowd.
His team, Saunier Duval, pulled out of the race.
Ricco', 24, was considered the best climber of his generation and a potential heir to Pantani.
Some fans had already started calling him 'the Pirate', the same nickname of the bandana-clad Pantani who did the Giro-Tour double in 1998 before doping woes and cocaine use led to his death from a cocaine overdose in 2004.
French authorities said traces of a 'third generation' of EPO called 'Continuous Erythropoietin Receptor Activator' (CERA) were found in Ricco's blood after the Tour's first time trial - the same substance found in two Spanish riders who were arrested this week.
Ricco', who placed second in this year's Giro d'Italia, won two stages at the Tour including a stunning mountain breakaway on Stage 8.
Before his demise he was lying 9th overall after 11 stages and wearing the King of the Mountains jersey.
He also led the young riders' standings.
The Italian was not among the pre-race favourites for the Tour but his displays spurred bookies to slash his odds.
On July 10 Ricco' won stage 6 of the Tour with a hilltop finish at Super-Besse - his first ever Tour de France win.
He angrily dismissed rumours that test results had revealed abnormalities in his blood level.
The team and the athlete claimed there were no doping issues since Ricco' has a naturally high haematocrit (red blood cell) level.
He reportedly has a UCI certificate attesting to an haematocrit of 51% - 50% being considered the accepted upper limit since 1997.
Three days later he snagged his second win at stage 9 of the Tour de France with a breakaway climb of the Col d'Aspin.
Ricco is the third rider after Manuel Beltran and Moses Duenas Nevado, both of Spain, to test positive for the new version of EPO at this year's Tour.
CYCLING WORLD IN SHOCK.
The Italian cycling world was in shock at the news.
''It's a terrible blow , for me and cycling as a whole,'' said Claudio Chiappucci, the ex-climber once dubbed El Diablo for his daring breakaways.
Italian cycling great Francesco Moser said it was ''incredible'' and he hoped it was ''a mistake'' while Italian cycling team chief Franco Ballerini said it might be a case of ''a high physiological value, as in the past''.
But the president of the Italian cycling federation, Renato De Rocco, said ''a few irresponsible acts are enough to smash into smithereens the image and hope we are trying to rebuild''.
The Italian Association of Professional Riders said athletes like Ricco' ''jeopardise the image of the sport and the interests of the majority of riders committed to the fight against the doping mafia''.
Italian rider Emanuele Sella, who vied with Ricco' on many of the Giro climbs, said ''Ricco's positive test is a defeat for cycling''.
The president of the International Cycling Union, Pat McQuaid, called the case ''absolutely shocking''.
The head of the Italian Olympic Committee's Sports Medicine Institute, Antonio Dal Monte, said the effects of CERA ''could be more dramatic'' than EPO, which strains the heart and carries a high risk of thrombosis.
Rival Tour teams slammed Ricco'.
''He stole glory, results, fooled everyone,'' said Jean-Rene' Bernardeau, manager of the Bouygues Telecom team.
Cofidis chief Eric Boyer said ''there are certain cyclists who aren't able to win any other way and what's more they think they're stronger than others; they're arrogant.
''They no longer have any right to take part in this sport, they've besmirched as much as they can''.
CSC rider Stuart O'Grady said ''I can't understand how some people can endanger their sport. They should go and do something else rather than throw mud on cycling''.
David Millar said ''it's right to get rid of him but cycling's image has been ruined''.
Frank Schleck, one of the Tour favourites, found comfort in the fact that ''at least this shows that the antidoping controls work''.
Former Tour leader Kim Kirchen said he wasn't surprised by the news.
''(Ricco's) performances were on the verge of the incredible,'' he said.
Ricco's case is the latest doping blow to the Tour after the 2006 winner Floyd Landis was stripped of his title, the 2007 winner Ivan Basso was banned for two years and last year's favourites Alexandre Vinokourov and Michael Rasmussen were expelled from the race.
Other top riders to be dogged by doping allegations include Jan Ullrich, winner of the 1997 Tour, and Danilo Di Luca, winner of the 2007 Giro d'Italia.
Two retired stars, Erik Zabel and Bjarne Riis, recently admitted they used EPO in 1996.
