‘Shocked’ Tom Danielson denies doping after positive test

A former team-mate of Lance Armstrong was shocked to learn he has tested positive for testosterone and denies doping.

Tom Danielson, who served a six-month suspension in the wake of the United States Anti-doping Agency’s investigation into Armstrong’s US Postal Service and Discovery Channel teams, has been suspended by his Cannondale-Garmin team.

In a series of posts on Twitter, the 35-year-old American wrote: “Tonight (Sunday night) has been one of the worst nights of my life. While I was eating dinner with my team the night before Tour of Utah I received a call.

“For USADA notifying me that a out of competition test I gave July 9th has tested positive for, from what I understand, synthetic testosteron (sic).

“I have not taken this or any other banned substance.

“I spoke with them and my team and I will have to sit out the Tour of Utah as I wait for the B sample as well as look into all the possible ways that could have produced this result.

“I would never ever take anything like this especially after everything I have gone through the last years. This makes absolutely no sense.

“I will now, as I wait for the B test, have the supplements I take, tested to see if this is what caused it.

“I feel incredibly hurt, frustrated, and angry by this. I don’t understand how or why this happened and still can’t even accept this is true.” Cannondale-Garmin’s parent company Slipstream Sports added in a statement: “Tom Danielson notified Slipstream Sports that he was informed by USADA that he has returned an adverse analytical A sample using carbon isotope testing.

“In accordance with Slipstream Sports’ zero tolerance anti-doping policy, he has been suspended from competition, effective immediately. He awaits the results his B sample.

“Slipstream respects and will adhere to the process of the anti-doping authorities and will not comment further.”