EF Schooling-EasyPost have introduced that the workforce has terminated Andrea Piccolo‘s contract efficient instantly after the rider was stopped by Italian authorities whereas coming into the nation on Friday “on suspicion of transporting Human Development Hormone”.
The 23-year-old, who joined the US workforce from Androni Giocattoli in 2022, had been topic to an inner suspension at EF again in March after he was discovered to have been “taking a sleeping support that was not permitted by the workforce, although authorized.”
Piccolo’s contract has now been terminated following the incident with Italian authorities on Friday, June 21, with the workforce stating that that they had been unable to terminate the contract again in March.
EF said that the workforce will “cooperate absolutely with any investigation into the matter, and we encourage Andrea to be open and truthful with anti-doping authorities.”
‘Trafficking or Tried Trafficking in any Prohibited Substance or Prohibited Methodology by an Athlete or Different Individual’ constitutes an anti-doping rule violation beneath Article 2.7 of the WADA Code. If discovered responsible, athletes or ‘different individuals’ committing the violation face a WADA-mandated suspension from between a minimal of 4 years as much as a lifetime suspension, relying on the seriousness of the violation.
“EF Professional Biking has terminated Andrea Piccolo’s contract, efficient instantly,” EF said in a put up to Twitter on Friday night time.
“Piccolo was suspended internally with out pay in March after taking a sleeping support that was not permitted by the workforce, although authorized. The workforce reported the utilization to the UCI instantly, however attributable to authorized causes surrounding the UCI commonplace rider contract, we have been unable to terminate his contract on the time. After serving his suspension, he returned to competitors on the Giro d’Italia.
“On June 21, Piccolo was stopped by Italian authorities upon coming into the nation on suspicion of transporting human progress hormone. Our group will cooperate absolutely with any investigation into the matter, and we encourage Andrea to be open and truthful with anti-doping authorities.”
This season, Piccolo has raced 34 days for EF, together with outings on the Tour Colombia and Paris-Good. Final month he accomplished 18 phases of the Giro d’Italia, ending fourth on stage 6, earlier than abandoning following a tough crash on stage 19.
In keeping with his Instagram, Piccolo has lately been coaching round Lake Maggiore in Lombardy, near Italy’s northern border with Switzerland.
