Leonardo Piepoli - Doping Allegations

Doping Allegations

Piepoli was fired from Saunier Duval on July 18, 2008, for what his team called "violation of the team's ethical code." The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Piepoli had confessed to EPO usage, using the same third generation form (CERA) for which his teammate Riccardo Riccò tested positive, but he denied this at the Italian National Olympic Committee's investigation into Riccò's case. On October 6, 2008, it was announced that two of Piepoli's samples from the Tour de France had also tested positive for CERA EPO. In a January 7, 2009 interview with the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Piepoli acknowledged that he had used CERA in "a moment of weakness". In January 2009, he was suspended from the sport for two years.