Italian due to answer charges related to 2008 Tour exclusion on Tuesday
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Riccardo Ricco (Ceramica Flaminia) made the break, but couldn't follow Visconti.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Riccardo Ricco rides in the breakaway.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Riccardo Ricco held his high position in the GC.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Riccardo Riccò (Flaminia) will not appear in court in France on Tuesday to answer to charges related to his positive test for CERA at the 2008 Tour de France.
The disgraced Italian rider had been summoned to appear in court in Foix, near the Pyrenees, where he was held in custody following his positive test. However according to RTL.be, his lawyer Ana Maria Tripicchio has announced that Riccò will not be present at the hearing.
When gendarmes in Lavelanet searched Riccò’s belongings on the morning of his exclusion from the Tour in July 2008, they discovered ampoules and syringes. The possession of doping products is a criminal offence under French law, and is punishable by up to two years in prison and a fine of €3,750.
Riccò was suspended from racing for 20 months following his positive test for CERA in 2008. He was target tested by the French Anti-Doping Agency (AFLD) early in the 2008 Tour de France following a spate of startling performances in the run up to that year’s race.
He completed his suspension in March of this year, and won stages at the Settimana Lombarda and Giro del Trentino. He finished tenth in Saturday's Italian Road Race Championship. His Flaminia team were not invited to ride the Giro d’Italia or Tour de France.
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Barry Ryan is Head of Features at Cyclingnews. He has covered professional cycling since 2010, reporting from the Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and events from Argentina to Japan. His writing has appeared in The Independent, Procycling and Cycling Plus. He is the author of The Ascent: Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and the Rise of Irish Cycling’s Golden Generation, published by Gill Books.
