EF Education-EasyPost Fires Andrea Piccolo After He Was Reportedly Caught with Human Growth Hormone
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Last week, EF Education-EasyPost released a statement announcing that their rider, Andrea Piccolo, had been terminated effective immediately. Piccolo was found with multiple medications, including human growth hormone. Under the WADA code, human growth hormone is classified as an anabolic agent, and its use is banned at all times, including outside of competition.
The team said that Piccolo was “suspended internally without pay in March after taking a sleeping aid that was not approved by the team, though legal. The team reported the usage to the UCI immediately, but due to the legal reasons surrounding the UCI standard rider contract, we were unable to terminate his contract at that time.”
Some might say it was strange then that Piccolo raced in the Giro d’Italia in May. But the team explained that he had served his suspension and was allowed to return to racing. They went on to say, “On June 21, Piccolo was stopped by Italian authorities upon entering the country on suspicion of transporting human growth hormone. Our organization will cooperate fully with any investigation into the matter, and we encourage Andrea to be open and truthful with anti-doping authorities.”
A report in La Gazzetta dello Sport said that Piccolo was stopped at an Italian airport on suspicion after recently training in Colombia. He was due to ride in the Italian championships on Sunday.
Cyclingnews reported that in a statement released on Saturday, “the UCI said that Piccolo had been under investigation by the ITA, who had been collaborating on the case with the Italian anti-doping agency and Italian police.”
“The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) has taken note of the statement made by UCI WorldTeam EF Education–EasyPost on 21 June 2024, announcing the team’s immediate termination of its contract with Italian rider Andrea Piccolo due to suspicion of transporting human growth hormone (hGH),” the statement said.
“The search conducted on the rider is the result of an investigation led by the International Testing Agency (ITA) and its close collaboration with the National Anti-Doping Organisation of Italy (NADO Italia) and Italian law enforcement authorities (NAS Carabinieri). The UCI welcomes this collaboration and will assess any further action that may be necessary in this respect.”
EF general manager Jonathan Vaughters told the Escape Collective in a text message that Piccolo expressed remorse while admitting he had been subject to a search. The text to Vaughters from Piccolo was translated to say, “Jonathan, I speak to you sincerely because I have already lost everything, and I am aware of this… I have taken four medications from Colombia that I do not want to name, I want to take my responsibility for this… They found them and confiscated them at the airport.”
It’s yet unclear if Piccolo will be criminally charged, but there will almost definitely be an anti-doping case. He will face at least a four-year ban, depending on what the other substances found in his possession were.
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