Fabio Mazzucco, pictured left racing for Bardiani during the 2020 Milan-San Remo one-day classic, faces a four-year ban after testing positive for EPO ©Getty Images

Italian cyclist Fabio Mazzucco faces a four-year suspension after an out-of-competition test showed the presence of banned blood-booster erythropoietin (EPO).

The 23-year-old returned an adverse analytical finding in a test conducted on January 18, over a month before he made his season debut at the GP Civitanova Marche in early March, Cycling News reported.

EPO positive cases are now rare due to the introduction of a test for the drug.

But continental teams are not required to be part of the International Cycling Union Athlete Biological Passport programme, that monitors blood values over time and can spot anomalies and EPO use.

EPO positives are now rare due to the introduction of a new test for the drug ©Getty Images
EPO positives are now rare due to the introduction of a new test for the drug ©Getty Images

Mazzucco, who re-signed for Tuscan-based Mg.K Vis-Colors for Peace this season, has since competed at the Per Sempre Alfredo and GP Industria e Artigianato one-day races - failing to finish both.

He also rode at the Settimana Coppi e Bartali stage race, where he finished 108th overall while awaiting the results of his B-sample.

Mazzucco, who comes from Este in north-east Italy, turned professional in 2020 with Bardiani-CSF-Faizane, for whom he raced until taking a step down to continental level this year.

He only managed to complete 24 race days for Bardiani last year after he was forced to take five months off racing through the summer due to physical problems.

Riding for Mg.K Vis before he turned professional, Mazzucco was a breakaway stage winner at the 2019 under-23 Giro d'Italia and went on to make his debut at the Italian Grand Tour the following year, riding in the breakaway on stage 11.