The positive test meant Merckx was to be suspended for a month. Race director Vincenzo Torriani delayed the start of the seventeenth stage in an attempt to persuade the president of the Italian Cycling Federation to allow Merckx to begin the stage. However, the president was not in his office and Torriani was forced to start the stage, disqualifying Merckx in the process. Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) president Adriano Rodoni announced an investigation into the situation, which, in the succeeding days, resulted in the removal of the suspension.