Appollonio suspended after positive test for EPO

(Rick Bowmer/AP)

AIGLE, Switzerland — The International Cycling Union says Italian rider Davide Appollonio has tested positive for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO.

The UCI says Appollonio is provisionally suspended pending a disciplinary case.

Appollonio rides for the second-tier Androni Giocattoli team which is not entered in the Tour de France that starts on Saturday.

The team announced last year that riders signed contracts agreeing to pay fines of 100,000 euros ($110,000) plus compensation if they were caught doping.

The UCI says the 26-year-old Appollonio tested positive in a sample taken during training on June 14.

He previously rode for the top-tier Sky and Ag2r-La Mondiale teams.

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