New dad Hunter given special Tour treatment

BREST, France, July 3, 2008 (AFP) – South African cyclist Robert Hunter, who rides for Barloworld, has been given special permission by Tour de France doping controllers to leave the race and go and see his wife and new baby.

Hunter, who won his first stage on the race last year, passed a pre-race doping control Thursday but after hearing his wife Claudia had given birth to a baby girl he was desperate to fly back to Switzerland.

Normally, riders are not allowed to leave the race at such a late stage however given the circumstances the French National Anti-Doping body (AFLD) decided to make an exception.

“He has left us his telephone number in case we need to contact him, but we’ve told him he will have to return Friday morning at the latest,” the president of the race jury, Joel Menard, told AFP.