Cycling: Italian duo sacked

Saunier Duval dismiss Piepoli and Ricco

Last updated: 18th July 2008

Riccardo Ricco Tour de France 2008

Sacked: Ricco

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Saunier Duval have sacked Italians Leonardo Piepoli and Riccardo Ricco for "a breach of team ethics".

Ricco became the third rider in this year's Tour de France - after Moises Duenas Nevado and Manuel Beltran - to fail a drugs test with EPO found in his system.

The Saunier Duval immediately pulled out of the Tour as a result, with the team now opting to sack Ricco along with compatriot Piepoli - although the 37-year-old Piepoli did not fail a doping test.

"(Team manager) Mauro Gianetti has lost faith in them and he decided to fire them from the team," David Garcia, a spokesman for Saunier Duval, told Reuters.

A statement from the team added: "(Gianetti) did a personal investigation and consequently lost faith in Ricco but also in Piepoli because of a violation of the team's ethics code.

"As a result, Mauro Gianetti immediately fired these two riders."