Overnight Italian rider Giampaolo Caruso was notified by the UCI if an adverse analytical finding from a sample taken in March 2012 that was stored and reanalysed.
The UCI released the following statement:
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that it has notified Italian rider Giampaolo Caruso of an Adverse Analytical Finding of Erythropoietin (EPO) in a sample collected during an out-of-competition test on 27 March 2012.
The sample had been stored and was reanalysed in light of new scientific developments.
The rider has the right to request and attend the analysis of the B sample. In accordance with UCI Anti-doping Rules (UCI ADR), the rider has been provisionally suspended until the adjudication of the affair.
At this stage of the procedure, the UCI will not comment any further.
Team Katusha responded with the following statement:
Team Katusha has been informed this afternoon by the UCI that Italian rider Giampaolo Caruso has been notified of an Adverse Analytical Finding. The presence of erythropoietin has been detected in a sample collected on 27th March 2012. In accordance with the UCI Regulations the rider has been provisionally suspended.
Bearing in mind the anti-doping regulations, the team will wait until the analysis of the B sample has been conducted before taking any further action or making further comment.
However, Team Katusha would like to underline that this news comes as a complete shock.
