ROME, Oct 7, 2009 (AFP) – A day after it was revealed that Italian Gabriele Bosisio had failed a dope test, his countryman Francesco De Bonis has also been flagged as an EPO user.

De Bonis, who rides with the Diquigiovanni team, tested positive for the new-generation EPO called Cera during the first stage of the Tour of Italy on May 7, according to the Italian press.

The news comes a day after it was announced that LPR’s Bosisio was caught out by a surprise out-of-competition test conducted by the International Cycling Union (UCI) on September 2 at Rogeno.

LPR was the team of Italian Danilo Di Luca, who finished second in the Tour of Italy in May only to be suspended for failing two doping tests during the race.

Like Bosisio, De Bonis was caught thanks to the UCI’s revolutionary ‘biological passport’, which since its creation last year has charted the blood parameters of every pro in the world.

Blood samples taken from riders are analyzed and compared to later readings on his/her passport. When anomalies appear the rider is often targeted by the UCI with a random doping control, when urine samples are usually taken.