Unibet Tietema Rockets suspended for anti-doping violation - Italian climber has biological passport anomalies from 2024

The UCI has announced the suspension of Giovanni Carboni, 30-year old climber from Unibet Tietema Rockets who has had biological passport anomalies from back in 2024.

"The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) announces that Italian rider Giovanni Carboni has been provisionally suspended in accordance with the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, due to unexplained abnormalities in his Athlete Biological Passport* in 2024," the UCI wrote in a statement issued this Thursday.

Carboni has raced for the Area Zero Pro Team where he turned pro in 2014, the Unieuro Willier Team, Bardiani, Gazprom-Rusvelo (where his time was cut short due to the team's UCI license removal back in 2022), Equipo Kern Pharma, and lastly in 2024 the JCL Team UKYO. It has not been specified at which moment the abnormalities were discovered, but it was during his stint with the Japanese team, where he won the 2.2 Tour of Japan but raced in Italy throughout most of the season. His results earned him a contract at ProTeam level in 2025, as Unibet Tietema Rockets signed him.

"Today, we have been informed by the UCI that they assert that in a period prior to joining our team, rider Giovanni Carboni possibly committed an anti-doping rule violation," the team wrote. "We have therefore decided to suspend him with immediate effect".

This year Carboni was a Top10 finisher at the Trofeo Laigueglia, Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali and the Tour of Turkey, whilst also winning the KOM classification at the Tour of Hellas. He was set to race the Coppa Sabatini on the day the statement was released.

"As a member of the MPCC, we fully support clean sport and therefore cooperate with all investigations conducted by the relevant authorities. Additionally, we have launched an internal examination. We are shocked by this news, as it goes against our values and principles. We remain fully committed to transparency, integrity, and the fight for a clean sport. We will await further communication from the relevant authorities".