Astarloa, Caucchioli, De Bonis, Serrano and Lobato Elvira were the riders named by the UCI(Image credit: Daniel Simms)
Ruben Lobato Elvira (Saunier Duval - Scott) was glad the previous day's rain had cleared for the time trial.(Image credit: Monika Prell/Cyclingnews.com)
The International Cycling Union has announced that Spanish rider Ruben Lobato Elvira has been suspended by the Spanish Cycling Federation for two years because of a violation of the UCI’s biological Passport programme.
Lobato Elvira was part of the first group of five riders named by the UCI for violating the blood value monitoring system in June 2009. Also named at the time were Italy’s Francesco De Bonis and Pietro Caucchioli, and Spain’s Ricardo Serrano and Igor Astarloa, who was world road race champion in 2003. All the riders, except Astarloa have been given two year suspensions in recent months.
The UCI did not specify the dates of Lobato Elvira’s suspension. However other riders were banned from June 18, 2009 until June 17, 2011.
Lobato Elvira raced with Acqua & Sapone, Domina Vacanze and Saunier Duval before being named by the UCI. He officially announced his retirement in December 2008. Since then, he has been working as a directeur sportif for the amateur Sansi-Spiuk team in his town of San Sebastian de los Reyes near Madrid.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
