The International Cycling Union (UCI) announced the ruling against the 33-year-old former Team Sky member and Olympic bronze medallist today, saying that he returned an adverse analytical finding of the substance in a urine sample collected during this year's Japan Cup Cycle Road Race, which he won, on October 20.

"The provisional suspension of Mr Michael Rogers remains in force until a hearing panel convened by his national federation determines whether he has committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules," cycling's world governing body added.

The three-time former world time trial champion, who can now request and attend the analysis of his B sample, currently races with Saxo-Tinkoff and was road captain at this year's Tour de France.

An official statement from the team suggests that the drug entered Rogers' body through the consumption of contaminated meat.

Could the banned substance have entered Michael Rogers' body through the consumption of contaminated meat? ©Getty Images


"Michael Rogers immediately informed Saxo-Tinkoff's management about the notification from the UCI," it read.

"The Australian explained to the team management that he never ingested the substance knowingly nor deliberately and fears that the adverse analytical finding origins from a contaminated food source.

"Michael Rogers participated in Tour of Beijing the week before the Japan Cup and travelled directly from China to Japan.

"Michael Rogers now has the opportunity to request an analysis of his B-sample.

"According to the team's anti-doping policy, Michael Rogers is provisionally suspended with immediate effect."

The UCI also announced today that Belgium's Jonathan Breyne has been handed a provisional suspension after testing positive for the same banned substance at the Tour of Taihu Lake on November 5.

The cases of Rogers and Breyne come just a day after the news that Great Britain's Jonathan Tiernan-Locke faces a UCI disciplinary hearing after abnormalities in his biological passport suggested drug use.

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