Manzana Postobon team to be suspended after second adverse analytical finding

Juan José Amador of the Colombian Pro Continental team Manzana Postobon has been notified of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for the steroid Boldenone, according to a press release sent out by cycling's governing body, the UCI, on Monday. It is the team's second suspension in as many months following the announcement of Wilmar Paredes' AAF for EPO last month.

According to UCI anti-doping regulation 7.12.1, Manzana Postobon will now be suspended for a period of between 15 and 45 days, which will be decided by the UCI Disciplinary Commission, due to the team registering a second AAF within a 12-month period.

"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that the Colombian rider Juan José Amador Castano was notified of an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for Boldenone in a sample collected during an out-of-competition control held on 22 October 2018," read the UCI's press release.

"In accordance with UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the rider has been provisionally suspended until the adjudication of the affair," it continued, adding that the rider has the right to request and attend the analysis of his B sample, as per protocol.

Manzana Postobon rode the Vuelta a España in 2017, but weren't invited last year or for this year's Grand Tour. Twenty-one-year-old Amador was part of the team's squad for April's Tour of the Alps in Italy, where he was a non-finisher on the race's fifth and final stage, and also rode the following month's Vuelta Asturias, finishing 70th overall.

"These two cases within the same twelve-month period trigger the application of article 7.12.1 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules providing for the suspension of the team from 15 days to 45 days," the UCI said. "The UCI will refer the matter to the Disciplinary Commission which will render a decision in due course."

In the same press release, the UCI also announced the provisional suspension of another Colombian: 36-year-old Alex Norberto Cano Ardila of Colombian Continental team Coldeportes Zenu, due to abnormalities detected in his biological passport.

"In accordance with the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the rider has been provisionally suspended until the adjudication of the affair," said the governing body.