Alex Baudin was temporarily dismissed from the AG2R-Citroën team after the announcement of his positive control for tramadol (a painkiller) after the 17th stage of the Giro 2023. The 22-year-old Frenchman wanted to explain himself on social networks , assuring that he was innocent and that he was going to bring the case before the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
“At first, misunderstanding dominates, then I realize the magnitude of this situation. From a very young age, I have practiced this sport that I love so much with ethics and respect,” he explained via his Twitter account.
A message that obviously did not convince Lilian Calmejane, who worked for the team managed by Vincent Lavenu between 2021 and 2022 before signing with Intermarché-Circus-Wanty. The 30-year-old Albigensian wielded irony with this comment: “Without the knowledge of my own free will. What a wonderful young man.”
In this tweet, Calmejane refers to the famous quote attributed to Richard Virenque by the Guignols de l’Info when the famous French climber was immersed in the Festina affair, a resounding doping scandal during the 1998 Tour de France. member of the Intermarché-Circus-Wanty formation, 77th in the Grande Boucle 2023 then insisted on dismissing his former formation. “Knowing the ethics of the AG2R team, I am convinced that they were not given the molecule!”, He clarified.