(Reuters) – Colombian rider Miguel Angel Lopez has been provisionally suspended for a potential anti-doping rule violation, the International Cycling Union (UCI) said on Tuesday.
Lopez, currently of Colombian Team Medellin-EPM, has been notified of a potential violation for use and possession of a prohibited substance in the weeks prior to the Giro d’Italia in 2022, the UCI said in a statement.
The world governing body added it had decided to provisionally suspend the rider following a review of the information provided by the International Testing Agency (ITA) on June 26 and July 7, pending the final decision.
The material includes evidence obtained from Spanish law enforcement authorities and the Spanish Anti-Doping Organisation (CELAD) during an investigation into Marcos Maynar.
The Colombian’s former team Astana-Qazaqstan ended his contract in December over new evidence linking him with Maynar, a professor who is under investigation for alleged drug trafficking and money laundering.
In a statement following his suspension in December, Lopez said he rejected “any allegation that could damage his name and honour as professional rider, and reminds that he has never tested positive for any drugs or doping.”
Lopez, 29, has previously won stages on the Tour de France and Vuelta a Espana and is a past winner of the Tour de Suisse and the Volta a Catalunya.
He recently won the Colombian National Time Trial Championships.
(Reporting by Anita Kobylinska in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis)
