German cyclist Stephan Schumacher was facing further testing after a positive doping test for EPO, the German Cycling Federation (BDR) said on Tuesday.

"The (BDR) board will come to an agreement today to launch proceedings," BDR boss Rudolf Scharping said.

Schumacher, 27, is the two-time Tour de France stage winner, and he also participated in the Beijing Olympic Games.

German anti-doping agency NADA also planned to open procedures after Schumacher's team boss announced late Monday that the rider had tested positive for CERA (Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator), the latest generation of the blood booster EPO.

The head of Schumacher's Gerolsteiner team, Hans-Michael Holczer, said he was informed by Tour boss Christian Prudhomme that a retest for CERA revealed the presence of the forbidden substance.

Schumacher won both time trials at the 2008 Tour, each time finishing ahead of Switzerland's two-time world champion Fabian Cancellara.

He has protested his innocence in the past, but was suspended instantly and faces a two-year ban if he is found guilty of doping. The rider has been linked with doping on previous occasions.

Local media reported that Schumacher was asked to pay back his expense in the Beijing Olympiad, which had been previously covered by the German Olympic Committee, local media reported.

Also on Tuesday, Germany's state network ARD was debating whether to continue its Tour de France broadcasts in the future in the wake of the latest cases. ARD, and the other state network ZDF, last year terminated their broadcasts during the Tour after several doping cases.

(Xinhua News Agency October 8, 2008)