Former Unibet Rose Rockets rider given four-year ban for biological passport abnormalities
The former Unibet Rose Rockets rider Giovanni Carboni has been handed a four-year ban after abnormalities were detected in his biological passport in 2024.
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The Italian was provisional suspended in September of last year and his Unibet Rose Rockets team terminated his contract in December following an internal investigation.
In a statement on Thursday, the International Testing Agency (ITA) confirmed that the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal had imposed a four-year ban on Carboni.
The anomalies in Carboni’s biological passport were identified during the 2024 Tour de Langkawi, when he was racing for Continental outfit Ukyo. Carboni previously raced for Bardiani, Gazprom and Kern Pharma.
“A panel of independent experts unanimously concluded that the abnormalities in the rider’s ABP during and after the 2024 Tour of Langkawi, respectively, were highly likely caused by the use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method,” read the ITA statement.
At a hearing on Monday, the UCI Anti-Doping Tribunal found that Carboni had committed an anti-doping rules violation “for the use of a prohibited substance or a prohibited method.”
Carboni had thus been handed a four-year ban, running from September 11, 2025 to September 10, 2029, while all results obtained from the 2024 Tour de Langkawi onwards have been disqualified.
All Carboni’s results obtained during his time at Unibet Rose Rockets have thus been stricken from the record, including his fifth-place finishes at the 2025 Trofeo Laigueglia and Mercan'Tour Classic Alpes-Maritimes.
In a statement last December, Unibet Rose Rockets outlined that it had “initiated a dialogue with the rider” after his provisional suspension before deciding to terminate his contract.
“Notwithstanding the presumption of innocence regarding the UCI matter, our internal review confirmed a violation of the rider’s duty of transparency and loyalty,” read the Rockets statement last December.
“While this decision stands apart from UCI’s disciplinary process, it underlines our uncompromising commitment to integrity, transparency and open communication, in line with our values and our status as an MPCC member.”
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