June 14, 2007 (Rome, Italy) — Two Italian cyclists and one Spaniard tested positive for banned substances at the 2007 Giro reports AFP today. The Spaniard, Iban Mayo (Saunier Duval), tested positive for artificial testosterone while Alessandro Petacchi (Milram) and Leonardo Piepoli (Saunier Duval) both tested positive for salbutamol. The UCI issued a statement regretting the “premature publication of this news item,” before conclusive testing could be finished.

It has also been reported that Mayo, 29, has been cleared of doping charges by the UCI while Petacchi and Piepoli are still under investigation. The UCI issued a statement declaring that, “No breach of the UCI anti-doping rules was committed by “¦Mayo.” The UCI release indicated that Mayo’s preliminary test was positive, but that more sophisticated tests returned negative results.

Piepoli, 35, admits to using salbutamol, adding that he takes it as needed to treat his allergies and doesn’t know how many puffs he took during the Giro. An aerosol medication inhaled into the lungs to treat asthma, salbutamol is marketed in North America under the brand name “Ventolin.” It is unclear whether Piepoli has a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) issued by the UCI, permitting him to use the medication. Piepoli finished first in Mountains classification at the 2007 Giro and 14th in general classification.

It is also possible that Petacchi has a TUE for salbutamol use, and the cyclist has issued no statement to date on this. Petacchi, 33, won five stages at the 2007 Giro and was recognized as the “most combative cyclist” this year as well.