Former Giro d’Italia stage winner Danilo Napolitano handed extraordinary 20-year doping ban in case involving minor
Cycling
Former Giro d’Italia stage winner Danilo Napolitano has been banned for 20 years after being found guilty of anti-doping rule violations in a case reported to involve a minor.
The 45-year-old former sprinter was working as a directeur sportif at SALUS Ciclistica Seregno, one of Italy’s leading youth development teams, when the case emerged. Club president Marco Moretto has also received an eight-year suspension after being found guilty of complicity.
Napolitano and Moretto had both been provisionally suspended by Italy’s National Anti-Doping Tribunal in April following requests from the National Anti-Doping Prosecutor.
At that stage, Napolitano faced allegations relating to the possession of a prohibited substance and its administration or attempted administration to an athlete. The reported involvement of a minor left the Italian facing the possibility of a lifetime ban. He has now been found guilty of violations under Articles 2.6 and 2.8 of the World Anti-Doping Code, with the tribunal imposing a suspension lasting two decades.
Twenty-year sanction follows April suspension
Article 2.6 covers the possession of a prohibited substance or method, while Article 2.8 relates to administering or attempting to administer a prohibited substance or method to an athlete.
Moretto was sanctioned for his role in the case after previously facing allegations of complicity. The SALUS president had received public backing following his provisional suspension, with Stefano Pedrinazzi, president of the Lombardy regional committee of the Italian Cycling Federation, arguing that Moretto and the club were injured parties.
SALUS Ciclistica Seregno also announced in April that it intended to take legal action, maintaining that material from the investigation supported Moretto’s lack of involvement. The tribunal has nevertheless handed him an eight-year ban.
The reports confirming the sanctions have not identified the prohibited substance involved or published the tribunal’s full reasoning. They also do not clarify whether the violation concerned a completed administration or an attempt.
Former Lampre sprinter won 38 professional races
Napolitano spent almost 15 years in the professional peloton and built his career around his ability in bunch sprints.
His biggest victory came on Stage 9 of the 2007 Giro d’Italia, where he won in Lido di Camaiore during his time with Lampre. He also claimed three consecutive editions of the Coppa Bernocchi between 2005 and 2007 and won four stages of the Tour de Wallonie.
The Italian later rode for Katusha, Acqua & Sapone and the Wanty organisation before retiring at the end of the 2017 season with 38 professional victories.
Napolitano subsequently remained involved in Italian cycling and was serving as a directeur sportif with SALUS Ciclistica Seregno when the anti-doping proceedings began. His 20-year suspension is set to keep him banned from the sport until 2046.
Kieran WoodDeputy Editor-in-Chief
Kieran Wood is a sports journalist based in Wales and has been active in journalism since 2022. He regularly contributes to DartsNews.com and CyclingUpToDate.com, where he covers professional cycling and darts. In cycling, his work includes liveblogs from major races, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España, alongside race reports and analysis. He has also conducted interviews with professional riders.
His reporting spans the full racing calendar, from one-day classics to stage races, with a focus on accurate, real-time coverage and clear contextual analysis. For statistics, results, and historical context, he regularly uses resources such as ProCyclingStats. To support reporting on rider activity and training context where relevant, he also references Strava.
In his work, Kieran places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles as new, verified information becomes available.
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- many people advise him to grow slowly and rather do giro and/or vuelta instead of tdf. but i can totally understand that he is not satisfied with taking over once pogi declines, but instead beat him in his prime. so if he goes for tdf again, i‘m all for it. let‘s hope that pogi recovers soon!Ketterechts07-11-2026
- So gracious to offer something no-one would be prepared to pay for. The Giro is not the Tour and doesn’t command the same interest or attract the same “elite” (those willing to pay to be a part of something they consider has ego boosting potential). Roadside viewing will always largely remain free for everyone outside circuits. Introduction of a symbolic entrance to mountain climbs is worthy of exploration. Asking 1-2€ isn’t going to repulse real fans (most will spend 50-100€ on their outing that day all things included) but will prevent a portion of the total knobhead thrillseekers who will join in any large gathering as long as it’s free, just because they’re attracted to crowds, without which it it difficult for them to work up their anti-social behaviour.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- How is radio going to help when someone went over a cliff or bridge or off the roadside into a forest unnoticed and is laying there unconscious?Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- Yep, next we’ll be accusing F1 drivers of avoiding Le Mans.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- But on what is that opinion based? Are you holding him to a different standard than others? Are you saying he should do learn to like something he doesn’t Are you saying he hasn’t achieved enough Are you saying he pretends to be better than his results? It’s actually a really strange opinion to oust if you consider it objectively or rationally. Try applying it to others or yourself by asking if not EVERYONE should then be doing more? Nobody in athletics or swimming gets criticism for not expanding their repertoire when a rival or someone else does. In fact, most who move to another event get accused of running from their rival. Opinions are boring, the reasons behind them are what count.Jumpyjohn07-11-2026
- for a medical chief to throw things like is just bad. There are already radios which were banned for spectacle. allow radios. Gps trackers are not a complete solutionabstractengineer07-11-2026
- Yeah man...PogiSloFans07-11-2026
- any rider less than 25 whether they are really ready for the position of leadership of GT is probably not the case. I think Pogi himself suffered when he was defeated by Jonas in the TDF twice. But that would be the team's job to ensure support so that they can bounce back. It requires a team and time to get back up and win after getting knocked down.abstractengineer07-11-2026
- I'm very glad he got the big late Quickstep Vuelta win and I hope he has a few left for Euskaltel-Euskadi.flyer07-11-2026
- My memories of Ivan Basso aren't good but I liked his sister Elisa ok.flyer07-11-2026
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