The Italian Olympic Committee's anti-doping prosecutor has recommended a two-year suspension for cyclist Franco Pellizotti for violations of the anti-doping code just before the 2009 Tour de France.

The announcement on Friday came after the International Cycling Union said in May that it detected abnormal values in Pellizotti's blood passport. The 32-year-old was provisionally suspended by his Liquigas-Doimo team.

The irregularities date to a sample taken after he placed third in the 2009 Giro d'Italia and before the 2009 Tour, where Pellizotti won the mountains classification.

Pellizotti has insisted that he has not doped, and his lawyers claim there were only two irregular values out of 22 samples, one in November 2008 and a second on July 2, 2009.

The case now goes to the independent Court of Arbitration for Sport.