Following yesterday's announcement that the Italian anti-doping authorities have requested a two-year ban for former world champion Alessandro Ballan, the Italian denies that he has ever been involved in blood doping. Instead, he claims to have undergone ozone treatment for Cytomegalovirus.

Alessandro Ballan was looking forward to returning to competition at the highest level following his horrific training crash in December 2012 which forced him to miss most of the 2013 season. However, those ambitions may have to be put on hold after yesterday's announcement that the Italian anti-doping authorities have requested a two-year ban for his involvement in the Mantova investigation.

The affair is centred around pharmacist Guido Nigrelli and involves several former Lampre riders, sports directors and managers. Ballan is one of 28 persons that will go on trial on December 10 and has been accused of several doping offences in leaked documents from the investigation that were published by Gazzetta dello Sport in 2011.

Contacted by Gazzetta dello Sport, Ballan refuses that he has ever been involved in blood doping. Instead, he claims to have received ozone treatment for Cytolemgalovirus in 2009 when he is reported to have received blood transfusions.

Having won the world championships in late 2008, Ballan had a terrible 2009 season. He was diagnosed with Cytomegalovirus and missed his beloved spring classics and the Giro d'Italia as a consequence. He rode himself into form in the Tour de France and won the Tour de Pologne in August.

Ozone therapy includes taking out blood, treating it with ozone and the re-injecting it. However, any form of blood transfusion is prohibited by the WADA code.

“What can I say?" Ballan asked. "Who knows if we’ll finally get to know the truth after three years? I’m optimistic because I’ve got all the medical records that certify why I had to undergo ozone therapy and not, as someone believes, to undergo blood transfusions.

“I had the Cytomegalovirus; I’d been in hospital and was suspended by the team. I had the rainbow jersey, wanted to ride the Giro d’Italia and they told me that the treatment would have helped me recover more quickly. I did an infinite number of controls and my biological passport speaks clearly. Do you think it’s right that I’ve been massacred because of this?”

Nonetheless, the anti-doping authorities have deemed the evidence to be sufficiently damning to request a suspension. Ballan's BMC team has issued a statement, refusing to put the rider on inactive status as they have done twice in the past.