German rider Patrik Sinkewitz has been banned for eight years as a repeat doping offender following a ruling by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on Monday.
A three-member, all-German CAS panel upheld an appeal by Germany's anti-doping agency challenging Sinkewitz's acquittal by a local arbitration tribunal.
Sinkewitz became the first cyclist to test positive for the human growth hormone (HGH) in February 2011. He disputed the reliability of the tests.
CAS ruled the German agency had "clearly established that the athlete's blood samples revealed the presence of HGH".
Sinkewitz tested positive for testosterone in an out-of-competition test before the 2007 Tour de France. He was banned for one year, half the usual suspension because he cooperated with German investigators and shared details about doping in cycling.
