The Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde, the world's top-ranked rider last year, is poised to miss July's Tour de France after an Italian anti-doping tribunal banned him for two years.
The 16th stage of the Tour passes through Italy on July 21.
Italy's Olympic Committee says blood samples Valverde gave at a doping control when last year's Tour entered Italy for a stage matched DNA from code-named bags of blood found in Spain's Operacion Puerto investigation..
The committee hopes the International Cycling Union will extend the ban worldwide.
The UCI president Pat McQuaid says they have yet to study the decision.
Valverde, 29, competed in the 2007 world championships despite the UCI trying to block his participation because he had been linked to Puerto.
