Lloyd Mondory receives four-year ban for positive EPO test

Former Ag2r La Mondiale rider Lloyd Mondory's cycling career has effectively been ended after he was handed a four-year ban by the UCI after testing positive for EPO.

The Frenchman was informed of his positive test in March, with the sample coming from a test on February 17 - two days after Mondory finished seventh in the Clasica de Almeria.

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"The Anti-Doping Tribunal found Mr Lloyd Mondory guilty of an anti-doping rule violation (presence of EPO) and imposed a 4-year period of ineligibility on the rider," the UCI wrote in a statement.

The 32-year-old rode for Ag2r for his whole professional career, joining in 2004. When his ban ends in 2019, Mondory will be his late 30s, which will make it hard for him to find a route to returning to the peloton.

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Earlier this week, Mauro Santambrogio retired upon hearing the news that he was to be banned for three years for taking testosterone, stating that he would be too old to continue riding when the ban expires.