The former Giro d'Italia winner Danilo Di Luca has been banned from cycling for life after a third doping offence.
The 37-year-old tested positive for the banned blood booster erythropoietin in an out-of-competition test taken at his home in April, five days before the start of this year's Giro.
He had previously been suspended for three months in 2007 for frequenting a doctor banned for his involvement in doping and received a two-year ban reduced to 15 months for a positive EPO test at the 2009 Giro.
The 2007 Giro winner was sacked this May by his Vini-Fantini team, who said they would be seeking compensation from a rider they feared could cause problems given his past.
Italian cyclists have been involved in drugs scandals more than most in the doping scourge which wreaked havoc across the sport in the last 20 years - but being banned three times marks out Di Luca as one of the worst offenders.
