My name is Elin - A pro cycling lover's reflections

In April, Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) will return to racing. He tested positive for nearly double the allowed limit for Salbutamol last year. But now he has escaped a possible two-year ban.

The Swiss cycling federation ruled that Ulissi was negligent in his use of Ventolin during Giro d’Italia. However, the federation did not call it outright doping. Now he can return to the Vuelta al País Vasco (Tour of the Basque Country) in April, which starts a few days after the conclusion of his backdated, nine-month ban.

The allowed levels of salbutamol is 1000 ng/ml, but Ulissi had 1900 ng/ml.

During the race, he won stages 5 and 8, when he passed tests. He then abandoned after stage 17, suffering from bronchospasm. According to the rider, he took ventolin before the stage because of the bronchospasms, and he was allowed to use an inhaler to treat asthma during the race.

Because this is not a doping case, there are no Movement for Credible Cycling (MPCC) rules to stop Lampre-Merida from putting him right back into the peloton. This means that Ulissi can start the Vuelta a País Vasco in early April.