He doped through his career. His podium finish in the Tour raised eyebrows even in the height of the Armstrong era. And his wife was caught with drugs in her car the day that Tour finished. Now his son has died and his death has been linked to doping. And Raimondas Rumsas, in blue and pink Lampre kit on the right, is under investigation.

Raimondas Rumsas inquiry over son doping death

Having once finished on the Tour de France podium, the home of Raimondas Rumsas has been searched after his son’s doping related death.

Four months ago Linas Rumsas was examined at a hospital in Italy after he passed out.

However, he was discharged the following day he lost consciousness again, this time at the family home in Lucca.

He was taken to hospital but died in hospital that day, May 1^st. At the time he was making his way in the sport, having won the U23 Lithuanian title.

His fledgling career looking promising as he had secured a place with Altopack, an U23 team linked with Trek-Segafredo.

Reports in the Italian media have documented how the Rumsas family home has now been raided by the police, with the dead boy’s father the target of that part if the inquiry.

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An address linked to his team was also searched. Medicines have been seized as part of that inquiry and police believe the death if Linus Rumsas was doping related.

Raimondas Rumsas was himself a well known doper when he was racing. He was third in the Tour in 2002 and he also won the Tour of Lombardy two years earlier.

The Lithuania, now aged 45 years, was also 2^nd in Paris-Nice in 2001, 5^th in the Vuelta in 2000 and 6^th in the Giro in 2003.

However, even by the standards of the time his Tour podium placing in 2002 was regarded as miraculous.

And within hours of the Tour end in Paris news broke his wife had been found with a large quantity of performance enhancing drugs in her car.

Raimondas Rumsas wife left in cell

The array of banned substances included human growth hormone, EPO, steroids among others.

Rumsas had left the country after the race and refused to travel back from Italy to help his wife. So she languished in a prison cell for months.

However, justice of a sorts was done when he tested positive for EPO early the following year and was banned for one year.

And three years later both he and his wife were jailed for four months for the illegal importation of drugs.