Former WorldTour pro Andrea Piccolo, sacked by EF Education-EasyPost on dope-trafficking allegations, has been arrested in Italy after being found in possession of counterfeit cash.
The 24-year-old Italian was stopped while driving a Porsche Macan at the Piazza Municipio in Naples, accompanied by two other men, according to Italian media.
The Carabinieri who carried out the stop noticed a piece of paper protruding from under the steering wheel which, upon investigation, revealed €2,000 in counterfeit €20 notes. A telescopic truncheon was also found in the car, according to the report in NapoliToday.it.
Having been sidelined there because of a health issue, he moved to Gazprom-Rusvelo where he netted a string of impressive results, including 11th at Il Lombardia and 10th in the Bretagne Classic-Ouest France, both WorldTour-ranked races. However, he posted few standout results after joining EF Education, the exception, perhaps, being a fourth place on stage six of the 2024 Giro d’Italia, in what was the last event he rode. His career ended unremarkably – a DNF on the mountainous stage 19 to Sappada of that same race.
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