Danilo is caught.

[ak-zaaf]

Danilo Di Luca provisionally suspended

Earlier today, the UCI advised Italian rider Danilo Di Luca that he is provisionally suspended. The decision to provisionally suspend Mr Di Luca was made in response to a report from the WADA accredited laboratory in Paris indicating an Adverse Analytical Finding of Recombinant EPO (CERA) in blood samples collected from him at the Giro d’Italia on 20 May and 28 May 2009.

These adverse findings were a direct result of a targeted test programme conducted on Mr Di Luca using information from his biological passport’s blood profile, previous test results and his race schedule.

The provisional suspension of Mr Di Luca remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Italian Cycling Federation determines whether he has indeed committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules.

Mr Di Luca has the right to request and attend the analyses of both his B samples.

Under the World Anti-Doping Code and the UCI Anti-Doping Rules, the UCI is unable to provide any additional information at this time.

UCI Press Services

 

[luckyboy]

But not Menchov

 

[Jayarbie]

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/di-luca-positive-for-cera-in-giro

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

 

[issoisso]

*ding ding ding*

Now stop to think why he sucked in the 2008 Giro but not in 2009

hint: it's not that he was clean in 2008. It's that nearly everyone was on CERA in 2008

 

[BroDeal]

There is a big surprise. I would be willing to bet he has been using CERA for years, ever since he transformed into a Giro contender.

What the heck is he doing still using CERA? Why is he not just using transfusions?

 

[Escarabajo]

There is a big surprise. I would be willing to bet he has been using CERA for years, ever since he transformed into a Giro contender.

What the heck is he doing still using CERA? Why is he not just using transfusions?

Maybe he was micro dosing. I am not sure if the UCI thresholds have changed so that they can catch them now.

 

[Bala Verde]

There is a big surprise. I would be willing to bet he has been using CERA for years, ever since he transformed into a Giro contender.

What the heck is he doing still using CERA? Why is he not just using transfusions?

Because Ricco and Piepoli showed the tests weren't full proof? Or maybe because it was cheaper than a regulated blood program? Or perhaps he did it in the spur of the moment. He did it the 20th and 28th, the day before the TT and the Vesuvius. He was in pink and before the Vesuvius he was a close second with only one more shot at the overall...

 

[craig1985]

I have always doubted his Giro win in 2007. I mean since when could di Luca drop Gilberto Simoni?

 

[elapid]

Ding ... and the nominations for the most stupid professional rider are:

1. Tyler Hamilton
2. Alexandre Vinokourov
3. Danilo Di Luca

Damn. Why would he use CERA?

 

[BroDeal]

Because Ricco and Piepoli showed the tests weren't full proof? Or maybe because it was cheaper than a regulated blood program? Or perhaps he did it in the spur of the moment. He did it the 20th and 28th, the day before the TT and the Vesuvius. He was in pink and before the Vesuvius he was a close second with only one more shot at the overall...

One of the problems is that CERA sticks around for a long time. Kohl go caught even though he used it before the Tour and not during it.

When does the results of CONI's testing of the 2008 Giro samples come out? That could be interesting.

I still have my doubts about the UCI's passport. They are attributing every positive to it.

 

[craig1985]

Ding ... and the nominations for the most stupid professional rider are:

1. Tyler Hamilton
2. Alexandre Vinokourov
3. Danilo Di Luca

Damn. Why would he use CERA?

Riccardo Ricco, Stefan Shumacher, and Bernhard Kohl for mine are worthy contenders for that "title".

 

[elapid]

Riccardo Ricco, Stefan Shumacher, and Bernhard Kohl for mine are worthy contenders for that "title".

But they didn't know that there was a marker for CERA. By 2009, everyone knew that there was a marker for CERA.

 

[titan_90]

How stupid is he to still be using CERA? Very dissapointing, I liked him for his attacking style

 

[LugHugger]

It's hardly a surprise, is it? It's a wonder that it's taken so long to gather enough 'evidence' to slap the handcuffs on. What a pr*ck. I wonder how many more Italian riders are sh*tting themselves now?

 

[BroDeal]

Ding ... and the nominations for the most stupid professional rider are:

1. Tyler Hamilton
2. Alexandre Vinokourov
3. Danilo Di Luca

Damn. Why would he use CERA?

I think Vino tested positive because he was unaware that the LNDD had recently acquired the machine to test for homologous blood doping. Evidently Hamilton and Sanchez were specifically targeted, and the UCI had not been regularly using the test after they were caught. In his case what he did was probably rational.

 

[RdBiker]

One of the problems is that CERA sticks around for a long time. Kohl go caught even though he used it before the Tour and not during it.

When does the results of CONI's testing of the 2007 Giro samples come out? That could be interesting.

I still have my doubts about the UCI's passport. They are attributing every positive to it.

Do you mean the 2007 or 2008 Giro? If the 2008 results make Contador positive before next weekend we might have a certain Mr. Armstrong in yellow (Depending a bit on how today's stage goes)

You are right about UCI attributing every positive to the blood passport. The first positives of the season were from tests that might really have been carried out because of the blood passport but Di Luca's case really doesn't look anything like that. Test the pink jersey on the day of a big TT - do you really need a passport to know to do a test then...Test a top-3 GC contender before an important final mountain stage...really due to the passport?

 

[BroDeal]

But they didn't know that there was a marker for CERA. By 2009, everyone knew that there was a marker for CERA.

There is no marker. That was misreporting by the press when the CERA positives were revealed during the Tour last year.

Even though I like Pellizotti, I would not be surprised if he goes down. He has improved a lot in the last three years. Before that he used to be a second tier climber.

 

[BroDeal]

Do you mean the 2007 or 2008 Giro? If the 2008 results make Contador positive before next weekend we might have a certain Mr. Armstrong in yellow (Depending a bit on how today's stage goes)

Oops. Meant the 2008 Giro. Edited my post to reflect that.

 

[fox1981]

This is heartbreaking. I watched DiLuca ride in the giro earlier in the year and he was all class. Obviously it was too good to be true. The giro was infinitely more exciting than this year's tour, but it doesn't mean a lot now.

 

[richwagmn]

Oh man. What an idiot.

 

[Dr. Maserati]

But they didn't know that there was a marker for CERA. By 2009, everyone knew that there was a marker for CERA.

He mustn't be reading this forum..... thankfully.

 

[Ibanez]

Not suprising, but I don't know what the guy is doing on CERA.

 

[Izoard]

I think Vino tested positive because he was unaware that the LNDD had recently acquired the machine to test for homologous blood doping. Evidently Hamilton and Sanchez were specifically targeted, and the UCI had not been regularly using the test after they were caught. In his case what he did was probably rational.

I think the reason we have seen pairs of riders getting tagged for homologous blood doping is that they were either 1) using the same equipment and there was some cross contamination, or 2) they used the wrong blood bag. It seems like there was also some illness with Hamilton and Vino ... could have been all sorts of reasons that we could speculate, but one would be using blood foreign to their system.

 

[Izoard]

Well, it is interesting that another podium is knocked off after the fact. The optics won't look good for the sport from the mainstream press, but I am glad we are doing the testing.

 

[Moondance]

Well, i'm disappointed, but not particularly surprising. Di Luca did nothing but attack for 3 weeks, which made for a fantastic Giro.

Menchov watch is now officially on again.