The talented 23 year old Euskaltel Euskadi rider Romain Sicard is in hot water this morning after being arrested by French police in Toulouse last night.
The 2009 under 23 world road race champion and Tour de l’Avenir winner was seen by police trying to put a traffic sign into his car. According to Ladepeche.fr, the officers checked his vehicle and found a orange traffic cone inside. Sicard declined to give his identity, was breath tested and found to be over the limit. He was subsequently taken into custody by the police.
Sicard is one of the few foreign riders on the Euskaltel-Euskadi team, although he is from the French part of the Basque Country and thus fits in with its policy of signing riders from that region. He has a contract extending into 2012, although the team’s future is uncertain after that point.
Euskaltel Euskadi has issued a statement this morning stating that it is going to treat the matter seriously. “The Euskaltel Euskadi cycling team has opened an internal file to clarify the events which occurred on the night of 10 to 11 November in relation to its member Romain Sicard,” it said.
“The cyclist himself informed the group that last night he was provisionally detailed by the French police after allegedly testing positive in a breathalyser test. The 'orange' group will meet soon with Sicard, will study the case and will be strict in the implementation of its internal code.”
He hasn’t progressed as expected since his stellar 2009 season, when he also took the Subida al Naranco plus a stage in the Ronde de l'Isard. His first year with Euskaltel-Euskadi was a solid one, with his results including second on a stage and eleventh overall in the Critérium du Dauphiné, but 2011 was a big disappointment. He suffered with tendonitis early on and then a muscle imbalance in his right leg, and never got going.
Sicard pulled out of Paris-Nice, the Volta a Catalunya, the Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne, the GP Ouest France, plus the Grand Prix de Québec and Montréal. Last night’s incident continues what has been a forgettable year for him, but will hopefully mark a turnaround point for the young talent.