Cycling: De Bonis falls foul of new doping test

Italian rider Francesco de Bonis yesterday became the first cyclist banned for doping under the International Cycling Union's biological passport programme.

De Bonis, 28, has been given a two-year suspension and a fine by the Italian National Olympic Committee. The UCI hailed the "historic importance" of the ruling.

A statement from the governing body read: "The UCI announces that following its request for proceedings against the Italian rider Francesco de Bonis for a breach of the anti-doping rules on the basis of his biological passport, the national anti-doping tribunal of the Italian National Olympic Committee has decided to sanction the rider by a two-year suspension and FF13,000 fine.

"The UCI emphasises the historic importance of this first judgement under the scope of the biological passport programme, introduced by the UCI in 2008."

A biological passport is an individual, electronic record for each rider, in which the results of all doping tests over a period of time are collated.