AIGLE, Switzerland (AP) — Giro d’Italia stage winner Mauro Santambrogio has tested positive for EPO from a sample given on the opening day of the race last month.
The International Cycling Union says it suspended the 28-year-old rider for now and asked the Italian cycling federation to prosecute a disciplinary case.
Santambrogio faces being stripped of his victory in the tough and mountainous stage 14 and his ninth-place finish overall.
The UCI says Santambrogio tested positive in a urine sample May 4, the first stage of the three-week race.
Vini Fantini teammate Danilo Di Luca, the 2007 Giro winner, also tested positive for EPO in a sample given days before the race. Di Luca was pulled from the Giro and fired by his team.
