ROME, Oct. 2 (UPI) -- Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco, who was thrown out of the Tour de France for doping, was banned from cycling for two years Thursday.
The penalty imposed by the Italian Olympic Committee includes 18 months for using a banned substance and another six months for Ricco's association with a doctor implicated in doping, the Italian news agency ANSA reported. The ban was four months longer than a prosecutor sought.
Ricco will be eligible to compete in Italy on July 30, 2010.
''I'm very disappointed,'' Ricco said. ''I was expecting more sympathy. I made a mistake and it's only right that I should pay, but I can't talk now, I prefer to leave the matter to my lawyers.'
His lawyers said they would decide after the text of the decision is published whether to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland.
Ricco was held briefly in France after failing a test and might still face criminal charges.
