Italian cyclist Dario Frigo, currently under investigation for alleged drug abuse, yesterday claimed he had "never used chemical or illegal products" in his seven-season professional career.

Speaking to the media for the first time since he was sensationally thrown out of the Giro d'Italia last week by his team, Fassa Bortolo, 27-year-old Frigo not only claimed he was "clean", but also denied widespread media speculation that he had turned "state's witness" and had named colleagues guilty of systematic doping practises.

Frigo was sent home last Friday, two days before the end of the Giro, at a time when he was lying second in the overall race, after he reported to team officials that banned substances had been found in his hotel room during the now infamous police blitz on all the riders and teams in the Giro in San Remo last Wednesday night.

A clause in his contract with Fassa Bortolo stipulated that the relationship would be immediately terminated if the rider either tested positive or became involved in a drugs scandal:

"I am not a dope fiend, I've never used chemical or illegal products. I had not taken the stuff that they found in my suitcase during the Giro and probably I never would have . . .", said Frigo at a news conference yesterday.

Frigo claimed the two small phials of Hemassist - a product that allegedly increases the amount of oxygen in the blood - found in his belongings last week had been "an error" and the result of "a moment of weakness".

He added: "I had come out of a very stressful few months when I had raced a lot and won a lot, at the Paris-Nice and the Tour of Roumandie. Finding myself so high up in the overall race (the Giro) after more than a week when I had held the race leader's jersey, led me to fall into temptation.

"I accepted the products, I knew that they were doping substances but just to have them in my suitcase, to know that I had them beside me made me rest easy, gave me some security . . . I was looking for something that would make me go faster than my rivals, if I needed it".

Following last week's raid on the Giro by Florence-based magistrates, 86 people, including Frigo and 50 to 60 other cyclists, are currently being investigated on charges of "fraudulent behaviour in sport" and violation of a recently enacted anti-doping legislation.

Meanwhile, Italy's cycling federation yesterday announced a suspension of competitive cycling in Italy. The move only covers nationally sanctioned races, meaning the Giro d'Italia, an internationally organised event, can continue.