Cardoso, however, has denied the allegations, writing on his Facebook page that he had requested his B sample be tested as soon as possible.

“I believe in clean sport and have always conducted myself as a clean athlete, but I realise that this news puts a dark cloud on not just myself but also on our sport and my team, teammates and staff,” he wrote in English.

“I am fully aware that I will be presumed to be guilty, but it’s important to me to say that I am devastated by this news and I wanted to state that I have never taken any illegal substances.

“I’ve seen first-hand through my career the awful effects that performance enhancing drugs have had on our sport, and I would never want to be a part of that. I’ve always tried to be a constructive influence in the peloton and on young, aspiring cyclists.

“It is my great hope that the B sample will come back as negative and clear me of any wrongdoing.

“Until then, I hope that those who know me, trust me when I say that I’m innocent, and that my colleagues and cycling fans everywhere don’t judge me too quickly during this difficult time.”