Britain's Mark Cavendish has won his fourth stage in this year's Tour de France.

Cadel Evans retained the yellow jersey by finishing in the main pack at the end of the 182-kilometer 13th stage from Narbonne to Nimes yesterday.

The 31-year-old Australian has a one-second lead over Frank Schleck of Luxembourg and is 38 seconds ahead of US rider Christian Vande Velde in third.

The pack passes near Capestang during the 13th stage of the Tour de France competition between Narbonne and Nimes, southern France, yesterday.

Earlier yesterday, the Saunier Duval team fired Italian rider Riccardo Ricco, winner of the sixth and ninth stages.

He was removed from the race on Thursday after testing positive for an advanced version of banned blood booster EPO. Ricco was the third rider to test positive for EPO with the race reeling from a string of doping scandals.

The general director of the World Anti-Doping Agency said yesterday that cycling faces the risk of disappearing if the sport does not get rid of doping.

"It's a great disappointment for cycling and the cyclists," David Howman said.

"Responsibility has to fall on those who are doping and not on those who are fighting against it.

"After ten years of cheating it looks as if it is a disaster. If it goes on like this, it (cycling) won't even be a sport anymore."

However, Howman praised the work of the Tour de France organizers and of the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD).

"I think that the people involved in the Tour are not responsible. They have a very good anti-doping program," he said.

Tour organizers Amaury Sport Organization (ASO) put their race under the jurisdiction of the French cycling federation and of the AFLD because of a long-standing row with the International Cycling Union (UCI).

"Those who cheat are stupid. Why are they taking that risk?" said Howman.

He warned the cyclists and all other athletes going to the Olympic Games in Beijing that cheating was not an option.

"We don't worry. Any athlete who goes to Beijing and takes that risk is stupid," he said.

Italians Leonardo Piepoli and Ricco were both kicked out of the Saunier Duval team yesterday.

"(Team manager) Mauro Gianetti has lost faith in them and he decided to fire them from the team," David Garcia, a spokesman for Saunier Duval, said.

It was announced on Thursday that Ricco tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO on the fourth stage of this year's Tour de France. Piepoli and the rest of the team were subsequently withdrawn.

Gianetti said he knew of no failed test by Piepoli but was unhappy with the rider's answers when questioned.

"I did not manage to obtain convincing answers from him and I no longer want to have doubts. If I have made a mistake I will pay the consequences," the team manager told Italy's Rai television.

"We have not received any communication about a positive test by Piepoli. I did not get a positive feeling to have the same faith in him I had a few days ago."

(Agencies via Shanghai Daily July 19, 2008)