Italian rider Mauro Santambrogio of the Vini Fantini-Selle Italia team has returned an adverse analytical finding for
EPO from an anti-doping test carried on the opening day of the Giro d’Italia, said the International Cycling Union, UCI.
Danilo Di Luca had also failed an out of competition test taken before the start of the race, making Santambrogio the second rider from that team to fail a test overseen by the French governing body of pro cycling, the Union Cycliste Internationale. DiLuca was provisionally suspended on May 25.
The news was first reported by http://www.t-online.de, and was verified by the UCI, who said the blood test for Santambrogio was taken on May 4.
“The provisional suspension of Mr. Santambrogio remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Italian Cycling Federation determines whether he has committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules,” said an official statement from the cycling union.
“Mr. Santambrogio has the right to request and attend the analysis of his B sample,” they added.
Santambrogio won stage 14 of the Giro to Bardonecchia in the snow and finished ninth overall despite fading in the final week of the race.
Vincenzo Nibali of the Astana Team took the overall win of the 96th Giro on May 26 of this year.
It’s anyone’s guess if more riders will be found to have unacceptable substances in their blood post-Giro since much of the testing requires time to develop results.
According to the UCI the EPO test for Santambrogio was done at the Rome anti-doping laboratory.
