The UCI has decided to provisionally suspend the Spanish rider Mikel Astarloza (Team Euskaltel). Astarloza won a stage in the 2009 Tour de France.

The decision to suspend Astarloza is a reaction to a report from a WADA accredited laboratory in Madrid indicating a so-called Adverse Analytical Finding of Recombinant EPO in a urine sample collected from Astarloza at an out-of-competition test conducted on the 26th of June 2009.

According to the UCI the suspension remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Spanish Cycling Federation determines whether Astarloza has committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules. The hearing panel will make a decision on an applicable sanction for Astarloza including his disqualification from any events, in which he competed following the collection of the sample on 26 June.

As riders always have, Astarloza has the right to request and attend the analysis of his B sample.