Mobile UPI  |   About UPI  |   UPI en Español  |   UPI Arabic  |   UPIU  |   My Account
Search:
Go

Sports News

Two Tour de France cyclists fired

|
|
 
  
Published: July 18, 2008 at 4:44 PM

LONDON, July 18 (UPI) -- Cyclists Riccardo Rico and Leonardo Pieopli have been fired by Spain's Saunier Duval team at the Tour de France and the team has withdrawn, a BBC report said.

Both cyclists were fired late Thursday, but the withdrawal happened before Friday's 13th stage of the race.

Ricco, 24, tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO while Piepoli, 37, was dismissed because of a "violation of the team's ethics code," the BBC said.

Ricco won two stages at this year's event but was given a police escort on Thursday while Piepoli won stage 10.

"(Team manager) Mauro Gianetti has lost faith in them and decided to fire them from the team," said Saunier Duval spokesman David Garcia in a statement. "(Gianetti) did a personal investigation and consequently lost faith in Ricco, but also in Piepoli because of a violation of the team's ethics code."

Topics: David Garcia, Tour de France
Recommended Stories
© 2008 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Any reproduction, republication, redistribution and/or modification of any UPI content is expressly prohibited without UPI's prior written consent.

Order reprints
  
Join the conversation
Most Popular Collections
Linsanity The Daytona 500 Cheerleaders of 2012
Additional Sports News Stories
1 of 27
Snigdha Nandipati of San Diego wins Finals of the Scripps National Spelling Bee
View Caption
Snigdha Nandipati of San Diego, California watches confetti rain down as she wins the two-day Scripps National Spelling Bee championship, May 31, 2012, in National Harbor, Maryland. Nandipati successfully spelled the word .* guetapens *, meaning to lure or ambush. UPI/Mike Theiler
fark
Good news: The "digital divide" between rich and poor is closing. Bad news: The poor are using the...
Oh dear lord, YES
The FSM parted his noodley appendages over Washington State today and proclaimed "Let private liquor...
You're an enterprising bank robber: You have 30 minutes to knock off 3 banks. GO
Veteran found buried in Florida National Cemetery without casket -- only a cardboard box. Florida...
At the unveiling of the official portrait of President George W. Bush, Joe Biden turned to Karl...