Cycling: Novikov gives positive dope test

Russian rider Nikita Novikov has been provisionally suspended after testing positive for a banned steroid in an out-of-competition test, cycling’s world governing body, the UCI, announced on Friday.

Novikov, who is a former Tour of Slovakia winner and has been with the Dutch team Vacansoleil since last year, tested positive on May 17.

The UCI confirmed that traces of the banned steroids Hydroxy-ostarine and O Dephenyl-ostarine were found in the 23-year-old’s urine sample.

“As a team you try to give your riders a safe environment with good coaching and staff and that makes it very disappointing when a rider does something wrong, like it appears is the case now,” Vacansoleil general manager Daan Luijkx was quoted as saying by the website Velonation

“When I talked to the rider last night, after the UCI informed us, he said he had no idea how the substance got in his body.”