By Raf Casert
Tom Boonen is set to take Tour de France organisers to court in Paris on Monday over their refusal to let him compete in July's race due to the Belgian rider testing positive for cocaine for the second time in less than year.
Boonen and his Quick Step team decided to take action immediately after the ASO organization, which owns the Tour, said the cyclist would be banned even though the international cycling federation has taken no action.
"Quick Step and Tom Boonen have decided to use all legal means possible to oppose this decision," they said in a statement.
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Boonen's latest positive test was carried out in April Boonen's latest positive test was carried out in April. The 28-year-old rider tested positive for the same drug in May 2008 and was banned by Tour organisers from last year's event.
Boonen was not sanctioned because the positive test came while he was resting between the spring classics and preparation races for the Tour. ASO said he was entitled to appeal against its decision before the French Olympic Committee.
An official close to the case said an appeal would not be made to the French Olympic Committee but instead a court injunction will be sought before a Parisian tribunal.
"Based on all the information we have, we can go before a normal court," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the legal sensitivity of the case.
After the case is introduced on Monday, it could be heard as soon as Thursday.
The Tour de France is the highlight of the cycling calendar The Tour de France is the highlight of the cycling calendar and the no-show of Boonen would have a huge impact on the team.
Boonen only resumed cycling earlier in June and raced in the Dauphine Libere criterium last week. He is one of the world's best sprinters and one-day classic riders. In 2007, he won the Tour's green jersey as best sprinter. He has already proved his form this season by winning Paris-Roubaix for a third time.
Quick Step is all the more angry because France Sports Minister Bernard Laporte has gotten involved in the issue by saying "the ASO decision is very, very good," calling it "a measure that will show that the Tour de France has a positive image." - Sapa-AP
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