UCI bans Valverde from Movistar ceremony

Spanish cycling team Movistar says rider Alejandro Valverde, who is banned for doping, has been stopped by the sport's governing body from attending a ceremony presenting him as a new member. Movistar said Monday in a statement on its website that it is ''in strong disagreement'' with the UCI's decision but has canceled the presentation on Tuesday ''to avoid any disciplinary measures.'' Valverde, who won the 2009 Spanish Vuelta, is serving a two-year ban that expires in January. Italian anti-doping officials matched a blood sample taken from the Spanish cyclist during the 2008 Tour de France with a blood bag containing EPO that was found in a Madrid clinic during Operation Puerta.