Ballan out of Giro after suspension over doping probe

Former cycling world champion Alessandro Ballan has been suspended by the BMC team over ongoing doping investigations and will not ride in the upcoming Giro d'Italia.

BMC said in a statement issued later Monday that the 2008 road race world champion Ballan and fellow-Italian Mauro Santambrogio are out the Italian race which starts on Saturday.

BMC said "the two will be held out of competition pending further details."

Ballan and Santambrogio are under investigation on suspicion of being part of a doping operation based in Mantova before they joined the BMC team. Ballan came to BMC from Lampre last year.

The Gazzetto della Sport paper said Tuesday that Ballan is suspected of having used the blood booster EPO and Human Growth Hormone in 2009. There are reportedly also taped telephone conversations between Ballan and a pharmacist in Mantova who is believed to be at the centre of the doping scheme.