Diego Ulissi (Lampre-Merida) is set to return to racing after serving his nine-month suspension.

The 25-year-old was banned after he tested positive for the banned substance Salbutamol at last year's Giro d'Italia.

Ulissi's ban ends on March 28, and he will make his return to competitive action at the Tour of the Basque Country, which begins on April 6.

The Italian rider was found to have nearly twice the permitted amount of Salbutamol in his system when he was tested at the 2014 Giro.

He had declared the use of a Ventolin inhaler prior to the race, used to treat a bronchial spasm, but he was unable to explain why 1,900 ng/ml of Salbutamol when the highest permitted amount is 1,000 ng/ml.

Ulissi accepted the ban, which was handed down by the Swiss Olympic Committee. He said that the organisation had accepted he had acted negligently and not with the intention of enhancing his performance.

After delaying making an announcement on the rider's future, Lampre-Merida included him in their race prorgramme for 2015. He is also expected to feature in the Italian team at the world championships later this year.

He is currently training with team-mates in preparation for his return to the professional peloton.