One-year suspension recommended for Bernucci

By Susan Westemeyer

The Monaco Cycling Federation has been given a recommendation that Lorenzo Bernucci be given a one-year suspension for his use of Sibultramine, an appetite suppressant. He tested positive during the Deutschland Tour and was fired by T-Mobile Team during the Vuelta a Espana when the case was made public.

Bernucci said that he had been using the product, which he bought over the counter in Italy, for four years and did not know that it had been added to the WADA's list of prohibited substances in 2006.

The Italian rider lives in Monte Carlo and rides with a Monaco license. A first violation for use of the product, if it is ruled not to have been used for performance enhancement, carries a punishment ranging from a warning to the one-year suspension sought in Bernucci's case. The federation expects to make its final decision this week.