AIGLE, Switzerland -- Colombian cyclist Miguel Ángel López was banned Wednesday for four years for doping.
Lopez finished third in the Giro d'Italia and Spanish Vuelta races in 2018. He was also fourth in the 2022 Vuelta and won the toughest mountain stage at the 2020 Tour de France.
The International Cycling Union said López was caught in the Operation Ilex investigation led by Spanish authorities concerning a doctor who worked in the sport, Marcos Maynar.
"The UCI welcomes this valuable collaboration," the cycling body said of the case that involved the International Testing Agency based in Lausanne, Switzerland.
López was found guilty by the UCI's anti-doping tribunal of "use and possession of a prohibited substance (Menotropin)" at the 2022 Giro. Menotropin is a female fertility drug that can stimulate production of testosterone in men.
His ban expires in July 2027 when he will have turned 33.
López can challenge the ban in an appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.