Saturday 18 June 2016 16:40, UK
Simon Yates has said he is "very embarrassed and ashamed" after being given a four-month ban for testing positive for Terbutaline.
The 23-year-old from Bury tested positive for the substance, used to treat asthma, after stage six of Paris-Nice on March 12, and the four-month ban announced on Friday means he will miss the Tour de France which starts on July 2.
Yates' Orica-GreenEdge team had sought to take responsibility for the positive test, saying their team doctor had failed to properly apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) for medication he was prescribed.
In a statement, Yates accepted his ultimate responsibility for what was in his body and revealed his regret that it could be a permanent stain on his reputation.
"I have dedicated the last 13 years of my life to the sport of cycling," Yates said. "I have worked incredibly hard in this period and am proud of all my success to date.
"Unfortunately as a result of an honest mistake of my team doctor, whom I trusted wholeheartedly, there will now be a doubt cast over my name, my previous results and any future glories.
"I would like to apologise to my colleagues for once again casting our sport in a negative light.
"I am very embarrassed and ashamed of this whole situation but I am determined to move forward thus I will not be making any further comment publicly about the case."
Yates' ban has been back-dated to March 12, and he plans to return to action in the Tour of Poland next month, leaving twin brother Adam to go to the Tour de France without him.
He received a shorter ban due to the nature of his offence, and he remains eligible to be selected for the Olympic Games, for which he is one of a number of riders under consideration for the Great Britain team to tackle the mountainous road-racing course in Rio.
