Italian Gabriele Bosisio has been given a two-year doping ban by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) after testing positive for the banned blood-booster EPO during a targeted out-of-competition test last September. The test was instigated by the International Cycling Union (UCI) when their blood passport program detected unusual readings from the Italian.
The 29-year-old pleaded innocent to doping charges at a hearing with the Italian Olympic Committee’s Anti-doping prosecutor last November.
“I’ve never taken EPO and I repeat that I am innocent,” he told reporters at the time.
Bosisio was part of the LPR Brakes-Farnese Vini team where he rode alongside compatriot Danilo Di Luca. Di Luca was suspended last year when two of his samples from the Giro d’Italia tested positive for EPO. He finished second in the overall to Rabobank’s Denis Menchov.
The Italian had ridden for the LPR team since 2004, when it was known as Tenax. His first big result came in the 2007 Giro del Lazio where he outsprinted Emanuele Sella. In 2008 he had his biggest year with solo victory on stage seven of the Giro d’Italia at the first summit finish to Pescoconstazo; he then took the leader’s pink jersey a week later at Alpe di Pampeago.
He was fined 9,625 euros and will be banned from cycling until October 5, 2011.