LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Spanish cyclist Alejandro Valverde has been given a global two-year ban for his connection to a blood-doping ring.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled Monday in favor of the International Cycling Union and World Anti-Doping Agency, which wanted Valverde sanctioned for suspected doping revealed in a 2006 Spanish scandal.

The 30-year-old Valverde cannot compete until January 2012. But the court refused to annul Valverde's recent results, including his Spanish Vuelta win last season.

Valverde never tested positive for a banned drug, but DNA evidence seized by police in Madrid linked him to the doping ring.

Italian authorities already used that evidence to ban Valverde from riding there until May 2011.