LILLE France AP Medical tests suggest that cyclists on the Festina team expelled from the Tour de France this summer took banned drugs the French judge investigating the case said Tuesday. But top Festina cyclist Richard Virenque said the figures released by judge Patrick Keil vindicate his claim that he did not take banned substances. Keil called Virenque and teammates Pascal Herve and Laurent Brochard to Lille to give them the results of tests carried out in July. They showed that Virenque had a high hematocrit level of 49.3 percent. The hematocrit level measures the proportion of red blood cells in a blood sample one sign of doping since the substances increase red blood cells. But Virenque's level is just within the limit of 50 percent set by the International Cycling Union the sport's governing body. Medical experts have been analyzing blood urine and hair tests since Festina team manager Bruno Roussel admitted during the race to the use of the banned substance erythropoietin EPO among cyclists. Virenque and Herve both deny they knowingly took any banned subtances. parf-ae-jn APW19981201.0039.txt.body.html APW19981201.0481.txt.body.html