Alessandro Ballan cannot rely on a contract with Southeast-Venezuela. La Gazzetta dello Sport reported last week that a deal was in the making, but "the rumors in newspapers and on websites about the possible arrival of new riders are baseless," according to the team ProContinental team.

Although the name of Ballan in the press statement is not called directly by the Southeast-Venezuela website, the link is easy to explain. The team namely indicates an ethical charter which was signed in 2014. "On this basis, it is forbidden to sign riders who have had a doping suspension in the past two years of six months or longer."

The former world champion was suspended in 2014 by CONI for two years for his involvement in the Mantova case. On appeal the sentence was reduced to five months. The 36-year-old Italian was previously linked to UnitedHealthcare, but that came to nothing.