In a statement released to the public today, EF Pro Cycling announced it has terminated its contract with Italian rider Andrea Piccolo, effective immediately, following the 23-year-old's second run-in with risky substances this year.
The team revealed that Piccolo was internally suspended in March for taking a sleeping aid that, while not illegal, was not approved by the team. The team says it also reported the usage of the substance to the UCI at that time.
The team indicates that it couldn't terminate Piccolo's contract then due to "legal reasons surrounding UCI standard rider contract." Instead, it suspended the rider without pay until his return to racing at the Giro d'Italia in May.
But on June 21, Piccolo again found himself in trouble.
"Piccolo was stopped by Italian authorities upon entering the country on suspicion of transporting human growth hormones," the statement reads.
More about this suspicion and how these authorities came to be informed is not known at this time. However, growth hormone is in the category of Anabolic Agents on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List and is prohibited at all times and for all levels of athletes.
"Our organization will cooperate fully with any investigation into the matter, and we encourage Andrea to be open and truthful with anti-doping authorities," the team states.
Piccolo was in his third year with the EF Education Pro Cycling team. He had a promising start as a junior cyclist, securing national and European titles in the time trial discipline. He turned professional with the Astana – Premier Tech team ahead of the 2021 season but health issues saw him sidelined. He never raced for the team and left in May. He rode short stints at continental teams for the remainder of that season before finding a home with the American squad ahead for the 2022 season.
Top results as part of the EF Education Pro Cycling team include a second place finish in the Japan Cup Cycle Road Race, second in a Tour of Columbia stage, fourth in a stage at the Giro d'Italia and fifth at the 2022 Maryland Cycling Classic. He made is Grand Tour debut at the 2023 Vuelta a España where he briefly held the red leader's jersey and the white young rider's jersey.
