A new rule announced by the International Cycling Union would ban cyclists who fail drug tests from working in the sport. Beginning July 1, riders caught doping will be prohibited from working for a team in any capacity, including as managers, coaches, doctors, or even mechanics. The new rules, however, make an exception for one-time offenders, who can join a team after serving a five-year ban. In a statement, the UCI said it was “fully aware of the difficulties that the adoption of such a measure could imply,” but that the measure was necessary to insure a healthy future for cycling. The ban won’t be applied retroactively, so past dopers like current Saxo Bank-SunGard manager Bjarne Riis, who admitted to when he won the 1996 Tour de France, won’t be affected.
Read more at the .