Serrano suspended for two years on doping charges

The Spanish Cycling Federation has suspended Ricardo Serrano Gonzalez for two years, the International Cycling Union (UCI) announced on Thursday afternoon. Serrano was caught under the UCI's biological passport programme.

He has also been ordered to pay a fine of 23,100 Euro.

The UCI had requested that the Spanish Federation open disciplinary procedures against him in June 2009. Their request "was based on two elements of evidence collected within the biological passport programme: Mr Serrano’s abnormal haematological profile, and two laboratory reports indicating the detection of CERA in his blood samples collected on 07th May 2009 and on 13th June 2009".

Serrano, 31, rode for Tinkoff Credit Systems in 2007 and 2008, and Fuji-Servetto in 2009. The team suspended him last year after the UCI's announcement.