Boonen tests positive for dope

PARIS, May 9 - Belgian rider Tom Boonen has failed an out-of-competition test for cocaine, his Quick Step team said on Saturday.

"The test, which was positive for cocaine, was carried out by the Flemish authorities," team spokesperson Alessandro Tegner said.

"It was about two weeks ago. There is a team meeting to discuss the situation."

Boonen, who won the Paris-Roubaix classic for the third time last month and is among the top one-day race riders in the world, previously failed a test for cocaine last year.

Jan Poels, a public prosecutor in the northeast Belgian town of Turnhout, said a search had been carried out at Boonen's home at the end of April in connection with a drugs investigation.

He declined to say whether drugs were found or whether the investigation concerned any particular substance.