Three-time Giro d’Italia stage winner Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) has been provisionally suspended after failing a doping test at this year’s Corsa Rosa.

A urine sample taken after stage 11, in which the 24-year-old was involved in a crash, returned an abnormal amount of salbutamol (1,900ng/ml) – nearly twice the limit allowed of 1,000ng/ml.

The Italian, who won stages five and eight to add to his victory in the 2011 edition of the race, had been cleared to use Ventolin as he had been suffering from bronchospasm.

He declared, according to a team statement issued today, he had taken two puffs of an inhaler – equivalent to 100ng of salbutamol each – and paracetamol following the crash.

Ulissi was administered the paracetamol by the race doctor following the crash and had been accompanied by head team doctor Dr Carlo Guardascione in declaring his Ventolin use – which had been permitted.

However, having returned the positive sample, the rider has now been provisionally suspended and has requested the opening and analysis of his B sample.

The team statement added that Ulissi strongly rejects the presence of such a large amount of salbutamol, and has made use of the possibility provided for by WADA and UCI regulations to undergo a controlled excretion study in relation to the substance.

He will work with the team, in the meantime, to discover why the abnormal reading had been given.