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Italian rider Leonardo Piepoli faces a two-year ban after testing positive for the latest generation erythropoietin (EPO) product CERA, the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) said on Thursday.

A CONI statement said Piepolom, 37, had tested positive for Mircera, CERA`s commercial name, at this year`s Tour de France. Samples from the Tour were retested after the World Anti-Doping Agency was alerted to the presence of a new version of the
blood-booster EPO.

"CONI`s Prosecutors have charged the cyclist Piepoli and requested a two-year ban," a statement on the CONI website (www.coni.it) said.

Italian media reported that Piepoli had attended a meeting with CONI prosecutors earlier on Thursday.

The French Anti-Doping Agency said in October that Piepoli had twice tested positive for CERA during July`s Tour. The results were subsequently confirmed by tests on the B samples.

The rider had already been sacked by his Saunier Duval team after his compatriot and fellow squad member Riccardo Ricco also failed a drugs test for CERA.

Piepoli, who won a stage on the Tour, had not been found to have tested positive at that time but Saunier Duval said he had "violated the team`s code of ethics" and quit the race.

Ricco has already been banned by CONI for two years. He has appealed to the Court of Arbritration for Sport hoping to have the sentence reduced after admitting his guilt and cooperating with prosecutors.

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