Two-month ban (which finished in October) for Italian rider who blamed mother's diuretic for positive test

An Italian rider who tested positive for a banned diuretic after his first race as a professional is free to return to racing after his two-month ban expired.

Michael Bresciani, who rides for Bardiani-CSF, tested positive for Furosemide in an out-of-competition the day after the Italian National Championships in June.

At the time Bresciani said that he did not think he could be punished "for anything other than neglect" after blaming the positive test on his mother's diuretic pills, which may have contaminated his food as she split them.

Due to the nature of the substance the 22-year-old was not provisionally suspended by the UCI, but agreed to an internal suspension from the Bardiani-CSF team while the investigation into the test was ongoing.

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Now, five months after he was informed of the positive test, Bardiani-CSF has announced that the explanation of Bresciani's mother's diuretic pill contaminating her son's food was accepted by the UCI, which imposed a two-month ban that expired on October 10 - leaving Bresciani free to compete in the 2018 season.

"With regard of today’s communication from Union Cycliste Internationale on Michael Bresciani, Bardiani-CSF expresses its satisfaction for the investigations’ outcome and the consequent decision to fully clear the rider from any accusations of fraudulent violations of anti-doping rules," read a statement from the team.

"For Bardiani-CSF the UCI's justification for its decision proves that Bresciani has not violated any internal rules and team policy in terms of anti-doping, which declare the strong will to not have any riders in the roster with previous anti-doping violations not attributable to negligence and, in case of athletes under contract, their immediate dismissal.

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"At the end, the team confirms that the precautionary suspension of Bresciani is finished and that Michael will be at disposal to face the 2018 race calendar."

Bardiani-CSF has found itself at the centre of a number of doping stories this year, with Nicola Ruffoni and Stefano Pirazzi having both been handed four-year bans after failing tests while riders on the team in the build-up to the Giro d'Italia.