CONI seeks bans for five in Mantova case

The Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) has been asked to ban two sporting directors for four years each and three young riders for two years, for their participation in the Mantova doping investigation. None of the Team Lampre or BMC riders earlier named in the investigation were amongst those named today.

The two sporting directors are Loris Tagliapietra and Mariano Piccoli, who raced professionally from 1992 to 2005, riding for Lampre from 1999 until 2004.

The three riders are Andrea Menapace, a 24-year-old who rode for Mantovani Cicli Fontana this year; Enrico Mantovani, 24, who last rode for 2010 Cycling Team Trentino-Ballan-Legno Case; and Andrea Garardini, 22, who was a stagiaire at Miche this year.

CONI also announced that it had sent its file on Russian rider Oleksander Grigorenko to the UCI for further action.

No further details were released.

The Mantova investigation centred on the sale and use of prohibited substances including EPO, ephedrine, testosterone and cortico-steroids. Many current and former riders from Lampre were named in the investigation, as were Alessandro Ballan, Damiano Cunego and Michael Rasmussen.  Their status was not known.