ROME, March 8, 2011 – Italian cyclist Franco Pellizotti has been banned for two years for doping by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) along with compatriot Pietro Caucchiolia, the Ansa news agency reported on Tuesday.

Pellizotti, whose suspension runs until May 2012, has had all his results since May 2009 wiped out, notably his third place in the 2009 Tour of Italy and his title as the top climber in the Tour de France the same year.

The Liquigas rider has also been ordered to pay a 115,000-euro fine.

Caucchioli, one of the first riders to be suspended because of anomalies in his biological passport, had his two-year ban confirmed by CAS.