Italy’s anti-doping prosecutor on Thursday asked the Italian Olympic Committee’s anti-doping tribunal to hit former Tour of Italy winner Danilo Di Luca with a three-year ban.

Di Luca tested positive for the banned blood-booster EPO twice during May’s Tour of Italy, in which he finished second behind Russian Denis Menchov.

The 2007 Giro champion failed tests on May 20 and 28 but has since maintained his innocence.

Prosecutor Ettore Torri recommended the regular two-year sentence plus an extra year for aggravating circumstances.

Should the ban be ratified it will run from July 22 of this year, the date of Di Luca’s B tests. Torri also asked for the 33-year-old to be hit with a fine and forced to pay costs.

Di Luca is the most high profile of a number of Italian cyclists to have been caught doping this year.

As well as his Giro success he was the International Cycling Union ProTour champion in 2005.