Ribeiro, who worked as sporting director at the now-defunct W52-FCPorto team, had been suspended since the end of last year. His sentence will expire on December 15, 2047. His former assistant and team masseur José Rodrigues received the same long distance, which is the maximum possible punishment for doping in Portugal.
The two were among 26 people investigated in a major anti-doping operation called Prova Limpa (Clean Test) that led to the demise of the W52-FCPorto continental team, one of the country’s top cycling teams. Seven of its drivers received bans ranging from three to seven years for doping. Among them were three former Tour of Portugal winners Joao Rodrigues (seven years), Ricardo Mestre and Rui Vinhas (both three years).
Ribeiro was accused of doping already during his racing career. In 2009, he lost his second triumph in the Tour of Portugal due to a positive CERA blood doping test and was banned for two years.
2023-11-07 21:14:49
#Portuguese #cyclist #banned #years #distributing #doping #Sport.cz
