Following the announcement that he returned a positive doping test for Probenecid at the South African TT championships in February, Daryl Impey has denied any wrongdoing and states his intention to prove his innocence. Furthermore, the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sports has responded to criticism that the news has come out just days before the start of the Tour de France.

The cycling world was rocked by another doping scandal when it was announced that one of the yellow jersey holders at last year's Tour de France, Daryl Impey, has tested positive for Probenecid at the South African TT championships in February. His team has provisionally suspended the athlete and is now waiting for a final decision to be made.

Impey has responded to the positive test by issuing a statement on his website and he denies to having ever knowingly ingested the substance.

"Further to the announcement of the Tour de France team and in the interests of full disclosure, I confirm that on 23 June 2014, I was notified by William Newman, the President of Cycling South Africa, about an adverse analytical finding for Probenecid following an in-competition test at the national time trial championships on 6 February 2014," he writes.

"I had no knowledge of Probenecid nor have I ever taken the substance knowingly in any manner.  I am committed to drug-free sport and fully intend to take all steps necessary to clear myself of any suspicion.

"The notification came as a complete shock to me just days before the start of the Tour de France, particularly since anti-doping tests conducted on me on 8 and 9 February 2014 yielded no adverse results.

"I immediately flew back to South Africa and was present at the analysis of my B sample on 27 June 2014, the results of which confirmed the initial analysis.

"I am extremely distressed by the finding, as I have always raced clean throughout my career.  Every result that I have achieved to date has been as a result of hard work and dedication on my part.

"I notified my team immediately after being informed by Cycling South Africa of the adverse finding.  I would like to thank them, my family and friends for their support during this difficult time.  I remain confident that I will be vindicated and proved innocent of any wrongdoing."

At the same time, the delay in the announcement has been questioned and cycling fans all over the world have found it hard to understand why the news is broken just days before the start of the Tour de France. The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sports has issued a statement to explain why it has taken some time for them to finalize their testing procedures.

“The delay in making the announcement has been due to an extra confirmation analysis requirement, which is routine for banned substances of this nature," CEO Khalid Galant said. "The unfortunate passing of a key staff member at the doping control laboratory in Bloemfontein in March 2014 also affected the standard turn around time of presenting the final result of the samples from the SA Road Cycling Championships.”