14 Jul 2014

Menchov banned for doping

11:38 am on 14 July 2014

Retired former Giro d'Italia winner Denis Menchov has been handed a two-year ban dating back to 2013 after irregularities were found in the Russian's biological passport in competitions he competed in then.

The Union Cycliste Internationale have declared Menchov ineligible until April 2015 and disqualified him from the Tour de France 2009, 2010 and 2012.

Menchov, who won the Giro in 2009 and the Vuelta, or Tour of Spain, twice, was second overall in the 2010 Tour de France.

The 36-year-old, who retired last year citing knee problems, retained his Giro and Vuelta titles but has been stripped of all his Tour results.