Italian cyclist Riccardo Ricco has received a lifetime ban from the sport

ITALIAN cyclist Riccardo Ricco, who was already serving a 12-year ban, has received a lifetime ban from the sport following an investigation by anti-doping body Nado Italia.

The 37-year-old, who joins Lance Armstrong and only a few other riders in the banned for life club, was taken seriously ill in 2011 after a botched, reportedly self-administered, blood transfusion, which cost him his original ban.

According to Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, Ricco, who won three stages of the Giro d’Italia and was runner-up in 2008, was handed the extra ban following a 2015 investigation into receiving drugs.

The drug cheat cyclist was also found guilty and served a two-year ban after he used the blood booster CERA during the 2008 Tour de France.

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