Sprinter to return with Italian continental team, CDC-Cavaliere
In the spring of 2008, Argentina’s Maximiliano Richeze was a promising young sprinter racing for the CSF-Navigare team, which is now Colnago. The previous season, 2007, saw the ever improving fastman to a number of wins, highlighted (or perhaps lowlighted), by two stage victories at the Giro d’Italia following Alessandro Petacchi’s suspension.
The steady progression came to a crashing halt though with the news of a positive for stanazol following the Circuit de la Sarthe just days before the Giro d’Italia in 2008. Richeze was immediately pulled from the CSF Giro roster and was supposed to be shown the door, except he continued to race. The Argentinian missed a big chunk of racing in 2008, but returned at the end of the season to score some solid results, and even raced in 2009.
Richeze argued and apparently proved that he had taken a contaminated supplement, and was handed a light suspension, until the CAS stepped in and handed out a two year ban, which began at the time of the original positive. The former stage winner at the Tour of Luxembourg, the Circuit de la Sarthe, and the Tour de San Luis will return in 2011 with the modest Italian team, Centri Della Calzature-Cavaliere according to Italian site, cicloweb.
A season spent at the Continental level should be more than enough to see the still only 27 year old Richeze back to the higher ranks if he can return to his quick finishing ways.