Bardiani-CSF rider blames positive doping test on his mother`s medicine
(Cyclingnews.com)

The Bardiani-CSF team has been caught up in a new anti-doping case after it emerged a rider from the Italian Professional Continental outfit has failed an anti-doping test for the diuretic furosemide, which can be used as a masking agent for other products. Nicola Ruffoni and Stefano Pirazzi tested positive for GH-Releasing Peptides in April, with their cases emerging as they lined-up for the team presentation at the start of the Giro d´Italia in May. The UCI subsequently banned Bardiani-CSF from racing for a month between June 14 and July 14. La Gazzetta dello Sport has revealed that 22-year-old Michael Bresciani tested positive for the diuretic in his first race with the team. He joined the team on June 1 to replace Ruffoni and Pirazzi but tested positive a few weeks later at the Italian national championships. The race was during Bardiani-CSF´s ban from competition but the riders were allowed to compete in the Italian national championships.ADVERTISEMENT Bresciani told La Gazzetta dello Sport that his positive test was sparked by contamination from a medicine his mother takes. However anti-doping rules state that the athlete `faces a personal duty to ensure that no prohibited substance enters his or her body.` `I know I haven´t done anything wrong. The problem is that my mother takes Lasix (a brand name for furosemide) at meal times. While she was dividing the tablets it must have got into my plate,` La Gazzetta dello Sport report Bresciani as saying. `The UCI is studying my case and has yet to issue a verdict. But I don´t think I can be punished for anything more than negligence.` You can read more at Cyclingnews.com