Italian cycling team given one month doping ban
PARIS: Following two separate doping positives in their ranks, Italian cycling team Vini Zabu have been suspended from all racing for a month, the International Cycling Union announced on Monday.
Matteo De Bonis tested positive for EPO in an outof-competition control in
March while teammate Matteo Spreafico fell foul of doping regulations twice on the Giro last October.
The ban on the entire team runs from April 7 to May 6, 2021.
"The UCI Anti-Doping Rules provide for the suspension of a team when two of its riders receive notice of an Adverse
Analytical Finding for a nonspecified substance in samples collected during the same 12month period," the UCI said on Monday.
Vini Zabu announced last Thursday that it would not compete in the Giro d'Italia starting in Turin on May 8 following the two doping cases.
Vini Zabu was one of three teams to receive an invitation to compete in the three-week Giro d'Italia from organisers RCS.
The selection of the secondtier Italian outfit had caused surprise, with the Movement for a Credible Cycling saying it had failed nine doping tests in the last 12 years. - AFP