[ire]

http://www.velonews.com/article/74714/di-luca-cleared

The Italian Olympic Committee’s court of last instance acquitted defending Giro d’Italia champion Danilo Di Luca of doping charges on Wednesday.

Prosecutors representing the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) had been seeking a two-year suspension for Di Luca after he returned an “anomalous sample” following the 17th stage of last year's Giro in May. Had he been found guilty of a violation, his Giro title, too, would have been negated.

The one-time ProTour leader was already handed a three-month ban this fall for his alleged links to the “Oil for Drugs” scandal, a four-year-old Italian investigation triggered by allegations that Dr. Carlo “the chemist” Santuccione had established a nation-wide sports doping program. In 2004, a coordinated series of police raids resulted in the seizure of doping products and transfusion records, but the investigation has since moved slowly. Last year, evidence suggested that Di Luca was tied to Santuccione, who the cyclist claimed had been his family doctor since his childhood.

Officials then charged Di Luca with a doping violation related to the Giro, after analysis showed unusually low hormone levels — described as "those of a child" — in a sample after the stage to the top of Monte Zoncolan.

Earlier this month, the court delayed its decision to allow three scientists to further evaluate the sample. On Wednesday, the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to prove a violation.

The charge against Di Luca represented something of a departure from traditional laboratory analysis, in that the rider was charged on the basis of abnormal readings rather than on the presence of a banned substance or its metabolites.

The World Anti-Doping Agency and the UCI have the option of appealing the decision to the International Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland.

 

[James]

Does anyone really care about DiLuca? He's already been tossed down to a much smaller Continental squad.
I don't know, he always seemed like the kind of guy who didn't get a lot of attention out there...

 

[SPINTECK]

I always admired the little guy. Being a short Sicilian myself, I liked his racing would compare my bike fit to his when messing around w/pedal techniques and climbing.

 

[splat]

I'm not surprised . if would be like a frenchman winning the TdF and having a postive test show up , you know one way or another he would get cleared . I think they call it Home field advantage.

 

[ire]

Does anyone really care about DiLuca? He's already been tossed down to a much smaller Continental squad.
I don't know, he always seemed like the kind of guy who didn't get a lot of attention out there...

If he wouldn't have won the Giro, no one would. There was a lot of hype around him, but it took a while for him to pull off a Grand Tour win. I think its BS how long the strung him along and I'm glad he gets closure.....no if we could get the decision on the 2006 Tour