Unibet Rose Rockets has terminated Giovanni Carboni's contract following an internal investigation that found the Italian rider breached transparency and loyalty obligations, the team announced on December 13.
The decision comes three months after Carboni's provisional UCI suspension for unexplained Athlete Biological Passport abnormalities, but the team says the decision stands apart from the ongoing anti-doping proceedings.
The 30-year-old climber was provisionally suspended by the UCI on September 11, 2025, over ABP irregularities detected in samples taken during 2024 while he rode for JCL Team UKYO, before joining Unibet Tietema Rockets that January. The team immediately suspended Carboni and launched an internal review.
"After careful consideration, we have decided to terminate our collaboration with Giovanni Carboni early," the team wrote on social media. "This decision stands apart from the UCI process."
“Despite the presumption of innocence,” the team wrote, it determined there had been a breach of transparency and loyalty. The team cited its MPCC (Mouvement Pour un Cyclisme Crédible) membership and its duty of transparency and loyalty.
The UCI's provisional suspension relates solely to 2024 samples analysed by the International Testing Agency in collaboration with the Athlete Passport Management Unit in Lausanne. The ABP monitors longitudinal blood biomarkers to detect indirect doping evidence without positive substance tests. No final ruling has been issued.
"We are shocked by this news, because it goes against our values and principles," the team said in its September statement announcing Carboni's immediate suspension.
Carboni, who won the 2024 Tour of Japan overall while with JCL Team UKYO, has not issued a public response to either the UCI suspension or the contract termination. One of his best 2025 results was fifth at Trofeo Laigueglia on 5 March.
