British track star re-instated
Rob Hayles is undergoing testing to prove he has naturally high haematocrit levels.
The UCI is allowing British track cyclist Rob Hayles to return to competition, two weeks after he was disqualified from the world track championships for having a high hematocrit level, the British cycling federation says.
British Cycling is very pleased that Rob has regained his license from the UCI and will be able to continue his racing program. We can now continue to concentrate on preparation for the Olympics in Beijing,” British Cycling performance director Dave Brailsford said in a statement released Friday.
Hayes, who has said he has a naturally high hematocrit level, is voluntarily undergoing two-weeks of additional screening in an effort to get a certificate from the UCI to avoid future disqualifications. He also is waiting for results from a urine test that he expects to show that he did not use EPO or other drugs to increase the hematocrit level, according to The Guardian newspaper.
Hayles told The Guardian he intends to return to racing on Sunday in the Thames Valley road race in Oxfordshire.