Former Vuelta a Espana red jersey holder arrested in Naples after counterfeit banknotes found

A rider once seen at the very front of a Grand Tour has found himself back in headlines for very different reasons this week.

Italian authorities confirmed that a former Vuelta a Espana red jersey wearer was arrested in Naples after carabinieri discovered counterfeit banknotes hidden inside his vehicle during a routine patrol in the city centre.

According to reports in the Italian media, officers from the PMZ Centro unit became suspicious after noticing a luxury car with a San Marino licence plate parked in Piazza Municipio. A check of the vehicle led to the discovery of fake notes concealed beneath the steering column.

The man at the wheel was identified as 24-year-old Andrea Piccolo, the former EF Education-EasyPost rider who briefly led the Vuelta a Espana in 2023 during a breakaway that put him into the overall lead and into the red jersey.

For cycling followers, Piccolo’s name has already been associated with off-bike issues long before this week’s arrest.

In 2024, while still under contract at EF Education-EasyPost, Piccolo was stopped by Italian authorities at customs in a separate case that led to an anti doping investigation centred around the suspected transport of human growth hormone. The case resulted in his immediate dismissal by the WorldTour team and effectively brought his top level racing career to a halt.

That episode followed an earlier internal suspension by the team relating to the use of a non approved sleeping aid. At the time, EF made clear that trust had been broken, and Piccolo’s trajectory from promising young talent to rider without a contract happened in a matter of months.

Before those incidents, Piccolo had been regarded as one of Italy’s most promising young riders. A former European junior time trial champion, he had worked his way through the development ranks and into the WorldTour, earning a Grand Tour debut and the rare distinction of wearing the leader’s jersey at the Vuelta before his 23rd birthday.

Now, his name returns to cycling headlines not because of what happened in a race, but because of events far from the peloton.

Italian authorities have not yet released further details on the investigation beyond the discovery of the counterfeit banknotes inside the car.