Disgraced Ricco admits he should have been caught doping far earlier in Tour

The 24-year-old Italian, who won two stages of the race before being kicked out, said: 'They made 10 tests in about 13 legs, two were positive and, in fact, in theory all the tests should have been positive, therefore the method needs to be checked.'

High before the fall: Ricco claims the ninth stage of the Tour de France before being disqualified

Ricco, who was sacked by his Saunier-Duval team, could face criminal charges as well as a two-year ban from cycling after testing positive for the bloodboosting drug EPO.