ROME (AP) — Italian cyclist Leonardo Piepoli has been banned for two years Monday after testing positive for a banned substance at last year's Tour de France.

The Italian Olympic Committee's anti-doping tribunal said the ban takes effect immediately and ends on Jan. 25, 2011.

Piepoli, who won the 10th stage of the Tour de France, tested positive on July 4 and July 15 for CERA, an advanced version of the endurance-enhancing hormone EPO.

The rider said earlier this month that he had engaged in doping in a "moment of weakness." He called his behavior "unjustifiable" and urged other cyclists not to cheat.

Piepoli's former Saunier Duval teammate, Riccardo Ricco, was banned for two years in October after admitting to doping during the Tour.