Hamburg - Italy's Pietro Caucchioli and Ricardo Serrano of Spain have been suspended by their teams after the International Cycling Union (UCI) named them among five cyclists who had suspicious data in their biological passports.

The UCI called for disciplinary proceedings to be started against the cyclists and Caucchioli's Lampre team and Serrano's Equipe Fuji- Servetto have responded by suspending the pair, noting that the suspicious values dated from 2008 before the riders joined their teams.

The other three riders named by the UCI Wednesday are Spaniards Igor Astarloa, the 2003 world champion, and Ruben Lobato, as well as Italian Francesco De Bonis.

They are the first riders facing charges based on evidence provided by the biological passport system launched 18 months ago by the UCI and World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).

"I believe we are on the right path with biological passports," Milram team boss Gerry van Gerwen told German Press Agency dpa. (dpa)