Ricco vows to return after failed drugs test

Italy's Riccardo Ricco, who was sacked from his team after testing positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO on the Tour de France, has vowed to return to the sport.

Ricco, runner-up in the Giro d'Italia and winner of two stages on the Tour, tested positive after the fourth stage of the race. He has denied any wrongdoing.

"I'll return and I'll return stronger than before," the 24-year-old climbing specialist was quoted as saying in yesterday's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

His Saunier Duval team pulled out of the Tour following the announcement by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) and sacked Ricco along with fellow Italian Leonardo Piepoli. Media reported that Ricco returned to Italy after being interviewed by an investigating magistrate on Friday and spending Thursday night behind bars.

Under recent French legislation, a rider is liable under criminal law for using or possessing banned substances.

"The magistrate listened to all I had to say and searched the bag and everything," he said. "They did not find anything, apart from the usual vitamins that we all use. So he decided to send me home because there was nothing."

When asked if he had taken EPO, Ricco replied: "You'll know this in the next few days. Now I'll go to my lawyer to start my defence."