MILAN -- Italian cyclist Diego Ulissi has been provisionally suspended by the Lampre Merida team after failing a doping test.
Lampre says it was told by the International Cycling Union on Wednesday of an adverse finding following a test after the 11th stage of the Giro d'Italia.
Ulissi, who won the fifth and eighth stages of the Giro, had almost double the permitted amount of salbutamol in his urine after the 11th.
The 24-year-old Ulissi declared before the test that he took ventolin before the stage because he had bronchospasms.
Lampre adds, "Ulissi strongly denies taking such a large amount of salbutamol."
Ulissi has asked for the B sample to be tested, and will also undergo controlled urinary tests in relation to salbutamol.