Unibet Tietema Rockets rider suspended due to 'unexplained abnormalities' in biological passport
Giovanni Carboni has been provisionally suspended by the UCI after abnormalities were detected in his biological passport. His team Unibet Tietema Rockets has also suspended him with immediate effect.
The UCI announced the provisional suspension on Thursday, citing "unexplained abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport in 2024" as the factor behind their decision to take action against the 30-year-old Italian.
Unibet Tietema Rockets responded swiftly to the news, stating that the alleged violations occurred before Carboni joined their squad.
"Today, we have been informed by the UCI that they assert that in a period prior to joining our team, rider Giovanni Carboni possibly committed an anti-doping rule violation. We have therefore decided to suspend him with immediate effect," the team said in a statement.
"We are shocked by this news, as it goes against our values and principles. We remain fully committed to transparency, integrity, and the fight for a clean sport," the team added.
As members of the Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC), Unibet Tietema Rockets emphasised their commitment to anti-doping principles and confirmed they have launched their own internal examination while cooperating with authorities.
"As a member of the MPCC, we fully support clean sport and therefore cooperate with all investigations conducted by the relevant authorities. Additionally, we have launched an internal examination," the statement continued.
The UCI has declined to provide further details, stating they "will not comment further while the proceedings are ongoing."
The Athlete Biological Passport (ABP) is ‘an individual electronic record for each rider, in which the results of all doping tests collected as part of the ABP programme over a given period are collated.’
Before his move to the Unibet Tietema Rockets in 2025, Carboni previously raced for multiple ProTour teams, most notably Bardiani-CSF-Faizanè, where he had a brief stint in second overall and leader of the youth classification at the Giro d’Italia in 2019, thanks to a breakaway performance.
Carboni's last race in the colours of Unibet Tietema Rockets was on Sunday at the GP Industria & Artigianato, where he finished 26th.
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