Schleck handed doping ban

Luxembourg - Frank Schleck was banned for one year by Luxembourg's anti-doping body (ALAD) on Wednesday for failing a drugs test in last year's Tour de France, the body's president Robert Schuller announced.

The 32-year-old Schleck, who was third in the 2011 Tour, tested positive for the banned diuretic Xipamide.

Schleck can appeal the sanction, which was back-dated to July 14, 2012, but if the punishment stands he will miss the 2013 Tour when it gets underway on the Mediterranean island of Corsica on June 29.

Frank Schleck, the older brother of 2010 Tour de France winner Andy Schleck will lose all of his results from the 2012 event in which he was standing in 12th place overall when he was forced out.

"The disciplinary commission of ALAD sanctioned Frank Schleck under article 21.1 of the International Cycling Union (UCI) regulations," said Schuller.

The Luxembourg rider failed the drug test after the 13th stage of last year's Tour in which had had finished in 15th place and his RadioShack team sent him home.

Schleck, who has always insisted on his innocence, said at the time that he had no idea how the diuretic got into his system.

"I know that I did nothing wrong," he said.