By DPA
Rome : Italian cyclist Alessandro Petacchi is out of the upcoming Tour de France after the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) recommended that he serve a one-year ban for failing a dope test during the recent Giro d'Italia tournament.
The manager of his Milram team, Gerry van Gerwen, said Wednesday that Petacchi will miss the famous French race starting Saturday in London and will be replaced by Ukrainian rider Andrei Grivko.
Petacchi is currently being investigated after a test during the Giro in May found him to a have a level of salbutamol in his urine that exceeded the permitted 1000 nanogrammes by 320 nanogrammes.
He is allowed to use the asthma drug salbutamol, but excessive amounts could indicate performance-enhancing use.
The 33-year-old Italian told a doping hearing on Monday he had a medical certificate to use a set amount of salbutamol in his asthma inhaler and that he had accidentally exceeded the permitted amount.
However, CONI's anti-doping prosecutor, Ettore Torri, said he was still culpable and called on the Italian cycling federation to issue Petacchi with a one-year ban.