Danilo Di Luca provisionally suspended after testing positive for EPO prior to Giro d'Italia

Danilo Di Luca has been banned for doping twice before in his career

The 37-year-old Italian, who received previous doping bans in 2007 and 2009, failed an out-of-competition test on April 29, just days after signing for new team Vini Fantini and five days before the start of this year's Giro.

He had been sitting 26th in the general classification at the race, 33min 33sec behind compatriot and leader Vincenzo Nibali, with his best result being third on stage seven.

A statement from the International Cycling Union (UCI) said: "The decision to provisionally suspend this rider was made in response to a report from the WADA-accredited laboratory in Köln indicating an adverse analytical finding of EPO in a urine sample collected from him in an out-of-competition test on 29 April 2013.

"The provisional suspension of Mr Danilo Di Luca remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Italian Cycling Federation determines whether he has committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules."

Vini Fantini sports director Luca Scinto condemned Di Luca. He said: "I'm devastated. I never wanted Di Luca in the team and I have never made any secret to anyone of this, even receiving some critics.

'Incredible mistake'

"We have built our group on the sacred values of the cycling and we made the mistake to satisfy the request, expressed many times by our main sponsor, who is a successful entrepreneur passionate about this sport, to try to give confidence to an athlete dear to him for friendship.

"Unfortunately, this trust has been rewarded with an incredible mistake, which I still can not understand."

Team manager Angelo Citracca added: "Danilo Di Luca is an athlete who was not part of our group, not wanted by the team.

"The team has dismissed the athlete, intimating him to get away. At this point, Vini Fantini Selle Italia will ask for a compensation for damages, in accordance with the internal rules signed by all the members of the team."

Di Luca won the Giro in 2007 but was suspended for three months later that year after being implicated in the Oil for Drugs investigation.

He later tested positive for CERA at the 2009 Giro and was given a two-year ban, later reduced to nine months.

EPO improves performances and delays fatigue in athletes by enhancing the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells.

Di Luca has requested for his B sample to be tested.