PARIS — France's anti-doping authority banned German cyclist Stefan Schumacher from French races for two years after he tested positive for a banned substance at the 2008 Tour de France.

Anti-doping agency AFLD asked the French cycling federation to strip Schumacher of his results and prizes won at last year's Tour, when he won two stages and wore the race leader's yellow jersey for two days.

Schumacher's ban in France will run through Feb. 22, 2011, AFLD said Thursday. An agency spokeswoman said the ban was effective starting from the official notification of the rider in writing Monday — even though the decision was made last week.

Officials say traces of the blood-booster CERA were found in the samples of Schumacher and three other riders when the agency retested blood samples from before and during last year's Tour.

Schumacher's lawyer said last week an AFLD commission had approved a two-year ban, but the agency did not confirm it. In a statement last week, Schumacher said the AFLD-imposed ban came as a "shock" to him, insisting that he hadn't used drugs and decrying the proceedings as "a farce."

The cyclist said he asked his lawyers to file an appeal with the Conseil d'Etat, France's highest court for issues involving public administration.

Schumacher was suspended by Team Gerolsteiner after the positive result became known in September, and Schumacher's intended new team, Quick Step, dropped him. Gerolsteiner has since folded.