Doping
On 13 October 2008, L'Equipe announced that Kohl had tested positive for CERA (continuous erythropoitin receptor activator, a third-generation variant of erythropoietin, aka EPO) used during the Tour de France. On the 15th he admitted his drug use. His results were removed, but his third-place finish in the 2008 Tour and his Mountain Classification championship (polka dot jersey) have not been remade. If they ever are Denis Menchov of Rabobank would become the third-place finisher, while Carlos Sastre of Team CSC Saxo Bank, overall winner of the Tour, would receive the polka dot jersey for King of the Mountains. The next day, Silence-Lotto terminated Kohl's contract with the team. Several journalists had also nominated Kohl to receive the Austrian Sportspersonality of the year award, but he was removed from the contenders list. On 24 November 2008, Kohl was banned for two years by the Austrian anti-doping agency (NADA).
His ex-manager, Stefan Matschiner, was arrested on 31 March 2009 in Austria and charged with selling doping substances. Kohl stated that he was "not surprised" by the arrest.
Kohl's results for the 2008 Tour de France have been removed in the official Tour de France results, but the definitive classification has not been published yet.
Read more about this topic: Bernhard Kohl