Dmitriy Fofonov tested positive for the banned stimulant heptaminol after the 18th stage of the Tour de France, the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) said on Sunday.

News of the positive test came while riders were sipping champagne on the Champs Elysees after Sunday's last stage in cycling's greatest race, in which Spaniard Carlos Sastre won the yellow jersey.

"Fofonov tested positive for a banned stimulant, we have notified him with the news today," Pierre Bordry, the head of the AFLD, said. "The substance is heptaminol."

Heptaminol is a vasodilator, sometimes used to treat low blood pressure. It had been erased from the World Anti-Doping Agency's list of banned substance in 2004 but was declared illegal again in 2006.

Credit Agricole rider Fofonov, who was immediately fired by his team, failed the test after the 196.5-kilometer ride from Bourg d'Oisans to St. Etienne on Thursday.

His positive test is the fourth in this year's Tour after Spaniards Manuel Beltran and Moises Duenas Nevado, as well as Italy's Riccardo Ricco, tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO.

"He said he bought something on the Internet and did not tell the team doctor. It is a serious offense, he is obviously fired from the team," said team manager Roger Legeay. "He said he took it to help himself fight cramps. In my team, the rules are clear, even though it was not blood doping or EPO he used."

The softly spoken Kazakh rider ended the Tour in 19th place overall, his best finish in a major tour.

The 31-year-old, who lives in France, started his professional career in 1999 with Belgian team Collstrop. He then joined Besson Chaussures for a year before signing with Cofidis until 2005.

This year, he geared up for the Tour with a stage win in the Dauphine Libere race in June.

The news is a big blow for Legeay, who is looking for a new sponsor as Credit Agricole will leave cycling at the end of the season.

(Shanghai Daily July 29, 2008)