Three riders on the same Italian amateur gran fondo team have been banned for doping

On Wednesday, three riders from the Italian ASD Marrone Autoricamb amateur gran fondo team were given sanctions for doping violations, according to a report in granfondodailynews.

34-year-old Onofrio Monzillo had already been given a three-year ban in Septmember for the blood booster, Erythropoietin (EPO), and was given eight more for additional violations. He is ineligible to race until 2033. Among his recent results Monzillo won the 2021 Gran Fondo Strade Bianche in 2021.

His 37-year-old teammate Domenico Antonio Nigro, was handed five-year ban by the National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) for a positive test for both testosterone EPO. He will not be able to race until on 2027.

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24-year-old Giovanni Battista Vendemia was handed a three-year ban for refusing to give a sample. He is banned until 2025.

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The team did not comment on the three suspensions, but they do have a strict anti-doping policy listed on its website. “All the subjects of ASD Autoricambi Marrone are firmly committed to reject doping in all its forms; it is mandatory for the athletes of the team to respect the anti-doping rules in order to guarantee a regular and healthy development of the competitions. The fight against doping contributes to safeguarding one of the inviolable and fundamental rights of the person, also enshrined in our Constitution: the right to health. Everyone has the responsibility of spreading the message of consistency with the principles and values ​​of a healthy life.”