Italian cyclist Andrea Piccolo, arrested in Italy and suspected of transporting growth hormones, was fired by his Education-First team, she informed Friday. “On June 21, Piccolo was arrested by Italian authorities upon entering the country on suspicion of transporting human growth hormones,” the American team wrote in a statement announcing the end of the rider’s contract with “effective immediate “.
The EF team explained that Piccolo was first suspended internally and not paid in March for taking “a sleeping pill not approved by the team, although legal.” The team, which said it had informed the UCI of its rider’s behavior, had already wanted to terminate the 23-year-old Italian’s contract but had not been able to do so “for legal reasons”.
At the start of his first Giro this year, Piccolo did not finish the event. Last year, he wore the leader’s red jersey in the Tour of Spain.
