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Friday, September 18, 2009 Ribeiro suspended, sponsor exits sport by Agence France-Presse at 10:30 AM EST   comments Categories: Pro Cycling, Doping   Cycling's world ruling body said Friday it has suspended recently-crowned Tour of Portugal champion Nuno Ribeiro and two of his teammates from racing after they tested positive for doping. Ribeiro and Liberty Seguros teammates Hector Guerra and Isidro Nozal had tested positive for the banned blood booster EPO (erythyropoietin) CERA during an out-of-competition test on August 3. Ribeiro and Guerra would also be banned from next week's world road race cycling Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland."Mr Guerra and Mr Ribeiro were listed by their national federations as competitors in the UCI Road World Championships ... The Spanish and Portuguese Federations have been instructed by the UCI to remove these riders from their national teams," said the International Cycling Union in a statement. The suspension for all three cyclists will be enforced until a panel determines if they have flouted anti-doping rules, added the UCI.Liberty Seguros, an insurance company, said they have immediately withdrawn their sponsorship of the team. If Ribeiro waives his right for a B sample to be analysed, or if he makes that request and it too tests positive for the performance-enhacer, he will be disqualified and his victory will go to David Blanco, who finished runner-up in the race.       comments Follow @Pro_Cycling Tweet Subscribe via RSS or daily email Contact the editor about this article