The 29 riders from the American cycling team Garmin-Slipstream team will be tested more than 600 times next season after agreeing to a new internal anti-doping programme.
Garmin-Slipstream, managed by former professional rider Jonathan Vaughters, was founded in 2005 on a strong anti-doping stance and used the Agency for Cycling Ethics until it closed earlier this year.
The team says there will be an intense focus on tbhe banned blood boster EPO and related substances, as well as continued focus on profiling of blood and steroid levels.
The programme will include tests to detect the new generation of EPO, called CERA.
Top rider Riccardo Ricco, Leonardo Piepoli of Italy, German Stefan Schumacher and Austrian Bernhard Kohl tested positive for CERA in retroactive tests from this year's Tour de France.
