McQuaid: Still time before UCI seeks Valverde ban

UCI president Pat McQuaid said Saturday that governing body will wait for the outcome of a pending appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport before seeking a worldwide ban of Caisse d’Epargne’s Alejandro Valverde.

Valverde is the subject of doping allegations and last year was banned for two years from racing in Italy by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI).

CONI said a blood sample taken from Valverde during the Tour de France when it passed through Italy in 2008 matched DNA from a blood bag seized during the Spain’s Operación Puerto doping scandal that erupted in May 2006.

CONI’s decision forced the Spanish ace out of racing the 2009 Tour de France because it made a brief foray into Italy, and that ban was confirmed on appeal by CAS two weeks ago.

As a result, Valverde is now banned from racing in Italy until May 10, 2011, although the UCI are still looking to ban the rider worldwide.

McQuaid said, however, the UCI would only move to take action once a UCI appeal to CAS, protesting the fact the Spanish cycling federation did not open disciplinary proceedings against Valverde, is settled.

“Another appeal has still to be finalized before we decide if and when Valverde could be given another sanction, what the length of that sanction would be and when it would start and finish,” said McQuaid at the world track cycling championships on Saturday.

“We will wait for the CAS decision first, which should be in the next few weeks.”

McQuaid said that to his knowledge, Valverde’s Caisse d’Epargne team had provisionally stopped him from racing.

FILED UNDER: News TAGS: Alejandro Valverde / CAS / doping / UCI