Disgraced former WorldTour pro arrested and charged after counterfeit cash bust
Andrea Piccolo arrested in Naples with two other men
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Former WorldTour pro Andrea Piccolo, sacked by EF Education-EasyPost on dope-trafficking allegations, has been arrested in Italy after being found in possession of counterfeit cash.
The 24-year-old Italian was stopped while driving a Porsche Macan at the Piazza Municipio in Naples, accompanied by two other men, according to Italian media.
The Carabinieri who carried out the stop noticed a piece of paper protruding from under the steering wheel which, upon investigation, revealed €2,000 in counterfeit €20 notes. A telescopic truncheon was also found in the car, according to the report in NapoliToday.it.
All three men are now in custody and awaiting trial, charged with the unlawful possession of offensive objects.
Piccolo graduated to EF Education-EasyPost from the Italian Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli ProContinental team during the 2022 season. However, he lasted less than two years there before being suspended without pay for taking a non-team-approved sleeping aid in March 2024.
Three months later, following a border stop by Italian authorities in conjunction with the International Testing Agency, Piccolo was dismissed by the team with immediate effect under suspicion of transporting growth hormone. He ultimately admitted to transporting four undisclosed substances from Colombia in a text to Jonathan Vaughters.
After his cycling career ended, the Italian opened up an OnlyFans page, promising 'a personal uncensored insight into the life of a professional cyclist', including 'training, food, sleep, repeat' and of course, it being OnlyFans, more besides.
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In terms of his actual racing career, Piccolo showed early promise, winning national and European time trial titles as a junior rider and, having turned senior, soon found himself at the Astana team in 2021.
Having been sidelined there because of a health issue, he moved to Gazprom-Rusvelo where he netted a string of impressive results, including 11th at Il Lombardia and 10th in the Bretagne Classic-Ouest France, both WorldTour-ranked races. However, he posted few standout results after joining EF Education, the exception, perhaps, being a fourth place on stage six of the 2024 Giro d'Italia, in what was the last event he rode. His career ended unremarkably – a DNF on the mountainous stage 19 to Sappada of that same race.
After cutting his teeth on local and national newspapers, James began at Cycling Weekly as a sub-editor in 2000 when the current office was literally all fields.
Eventually becoming chief sub-editor, in 2016 he switched to the job of full-time writer, and covers news, racing and features.
He has worked at a variety of races, from the Classics to the Giro d'Italia – and this year will be his seventh Tour de France.
A lifelong cyclist and cycling fan, James's racing days (and most of his fitness) are now behind him. But he still rides regularly, both on the road and on the gravelly stuff.
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