Rabottini pulled from Italy squad after EPO positive

Italian Matteo Rabottini has been excluded from his national squad for the upcoming road world championships following a positive test for banned blood booster EPO, the Italian Cycling Federation (FCI) said.

Cycling's world ruling body, the International Cycling Union (UCI), provisionally suspended Rabottini on Friday following his positive test for EPO (erythropoietin) during an out-of-competition test in August. A statement by the FCI said: "After receiving news from the UCI on Friday that Matteo Rabottini has been provisionally suspended, we would like to announce that he is immediately excluded from the national squad."

A report in Gazzetta dello Sport said Rabottini has since been replaced by Davide Formolo in the preliminary squad for the world road race cycling championships in Ponferrada, Spain later this month.