Steve Houanard (born 2 April 1986) is a professional

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

road cyclist Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes recreational, racing, commuting, and utility cycling. As users of the road, road cyclists are generally expected to obey the same laws as ...

, who last rode for the team.

Career

In 2011, Houanard participated in his first

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

, the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

and finished 133rd. His best result in 2012 was a 22nd placing at the

Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec is a one-day professional bicycle road race held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Its first edition was on September 10, 2010, as the penultimate event in the 2010 UCI ProTour. The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec ...

Doping

During an off-competition doping test performed on 21 September 2012, Houanard tested positive for EPO and was provisionally suspended by the UCI. His sports director,

Vincent Lavenu Vincent Lavenu (born 12 January 1956) is a French former professional road bicycle racer and is currently the general manager of UCI WorldTeam . Professional career Born in Briançon, Hautes-Alpes, Lavenu had been competing as an amateur in Fran ...

, was reportedly "saddened and angered" by that finding. Houanard accepted a two-year ban on 18 January 2013.

Major results

;2008 : 3rd Overall Tour Alsace : 6th

Grand Prix Cristal Energie The Grand Prix Cristal Energie is a road bicycle race held annually in France. It was organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by t ...

;2009 : 10th Overall

Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen Dwars door West-Vlaanderen is a road bicycle race through the Belgian province of West Flanders. History The race was originally created unter the name Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen (''English'': Tour of the Flemish Ardennes) in 1945 as a one-day ...

References

External links

*
Steve Houanard profile
at Ag2r-La Mondiale 1986 births Doping cases in cycling Living people French male cyclists French sportspeople in doping cases Cyclists from Paris {{France-cycling-bio-1980s-stub