Having served a 9-month suspension for a positive test for Salbutamol at last year's Giro d'Italia, Diego Ulissi will return to competition with Lampre-Merida at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco in April. With a valid contract already in place, he has not been been prevented from making a comeback with the Italian team despite MPCC rules forbidding member teams to sign riders who have served a ban until two years after its expiration.

Diego Ulissi is training with some of his team mates on Tuscan roads. He has done one week of training, also on the time trial bike, with the guide of the sport directors Mario Scirea and Daniele Righi.

In these days the Italian cyclist has defined his race schedule for his comeback with the technical staff.

In fact, during the past weeks the team’s medical staff analyzed the sentence of the Swiss Olympic Association related to the rider and the team management checked the situation with the team sponsors. These were necessary steps for Ulissi to be allowed to continue with the Italian team.

Ulissi will debut at the Vuelta al Pais Vasco (April 6-11 ) and he’ll race the Ardennes Classics (Amstel Gold Race on April 1, Fleche Wallonne on April 22 and Liege-Bastogne-Liege on April 26).

In May, Ulissi will be at the start of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de Romandie will be the last race before the Pink Race.