Dutch team Vacansoleil-DCM will not include their climbing specialist and overall contender, Jose Rujano, in their squad as they travel to Naples to take part in the Giro d’Italia this weekend.

The Venezuelan was allegedly identified as part of a large enquiry in Italy called "Operazione Amateur" into trafficking of doping products, but he rejected any wrongdoing, claiming he was not even living in Europe at the time in question.

Together with over 40 others the rider is named in an Italian investigation into prohibited practices. In the case of Rujano suspicion is based on the years 2009 and 2010. An investigation by the team has not provided any evidence of harmful practices which has made the decision to exclude the Venezuelan rider difficult.

On Wednesday morning Team manager Daan Luijkx took the final decision: “We did our own investigation and confronted the rider last Monday with some facts in Amsterdam,” he stated on the team website. “Again we concluded that no harmful facts like suspicious blood values can be raised against the rider. Furthermore, the products linked to Rujano are not on the anti-doping prohibited list. Based on the rules the rider from Venezuela is allowed to start but we don’t want to take any risks. In the meantime we kept close contact with the Italian authorities. We don’t want to bring the organizers into discredit, nor the rider, the team or the sport by taking a rider who is in the middle of an investigation.”

“We have confidence in Rujano and expect the Italian justice to confirm quickly that there won’t be any measures taken towards Rujano following the investigation. In the meanwhile we agreed with the rider to focus on races in June and July.”