DiLuca positive for EPO (CERA) ??

does this make sense.. why would anyone in their right mind be using CERA at this point in time when everyone knows it can be detected?

this seems really odd to me.. is this a messed up test?

The UCI Press Release:

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

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

I can't stand that arrogant wop. I don't know how people didn't expect this after watching him attack on EVERY climb, EVERY day.

me... i can stand racist sons of b!itches... what's up with the racial slurs??

who matched all those attacks... every day? and what does that say about him? and what about his associations with an Austrian blood bank.. people are frig'n stupid!

An ego is a tough thing to get over. He's just like Ricco, or Vino.

He also knew that without a great performance in the Giro, the Tour would not be an option, though it didn't matter in the end anyway. I wonder if the Tour organizers noticed his ceaseless attacks and asked themselves just how he was doing it, and didn't invite LPR just in case........

I didn't know that anyone in a laid back internet forum would actually be mad about that. My apologies to anyone who was offended.

Always liked the Killer.

He was never afraid to attack.

If this test is positive, then the second placed rider in this years Giro is disqualified and faces a lengthy ban.

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.."But finally the last thing I’ll say to the people who don’t believe in cycling, the cynics and the sceptics. I'm sorry for you. I’m sorry that you can’t dream big. [I]I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles. You should believe in these athletes, and you should believe in these people. I'll be a fan of the Tour de France for as long as I live. And there are no secrets - this is a hard sporting event and hard work wins it" - Armstrong 2005 TDF
morelike hypocrisy.

Some of these riders like Diluca and Menchov make their doping so obvious by the wild swings in their performance. I think it was just a couple years ago in the Tour de France that Diluca was barely finishing stages. And look at Menchov at this year's Tour de France. Certainly all riders try to peak at certain times and because of this will have various degrees of form, but not to this extent. IMO the most obvious doper ever is Iban Mayo, going from a full sprint up Alpe d'Huez to needing his teammates to push him up the hills in the Pyrenees a couple years later.

Armstrong has never had such wild swings. If you are a top rider, it's not possible to suck super bad like these dopers can on occasion.

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Lance Armstrong’s Last Words, August 10, 2007 - “We're proud of our record. We won eight Tours, a Vuelta, a Giro and other races and not one positive test," Armstrong said. “I’m not sure if there are many other teams who can say that right now. Couple that with our ethical record, despite all the gossip and nonsense that goes on.”

wow, just wow. i'm on your side now. lance is totally clean and he just demolished every dope cheating skunk that ever turned the cranks! hooray for lance. truly a clean riding superman! you've redeemed my appreciation for his talents. can i have the next sniff of his chamois?

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"Kick over the statues and the tyrants die. Wave bye bye to their heroes with a hammer."
--The Redskins, Kick Over the Statues

A dark day for cycling once again. None of them are clean, Di Luca has not stolen anything from anyone. I want to see boosted footballers, swimmers, tennis players etc.

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Why am I still a fan of dopers sport?

I took the post in another way. Not that Lance didn't dope, just that he was a great rider. He was saying that you have avg guys, or sub avg even that are transformed into something great with dope. Something like Riis. When they aren't on the junk, they fly out the back. While people like Lance, Basso.. may not be flying like they would on EPO.. they aren't exactly flying out the back.. usually just end up in the 2nd chase group.

It's rubbish like this that does my head in even more than trying to comprehend why people would use something that's so easily spotted in a dope test...

This result didn't come because of the biological passport program... The guy was in the leaders jersey at the time. Funny how they didn't say he was positive for the stages that he won and therefore probably would have been tested during those stages too. What about all the stages that he was the leader - stage 5 though 11?

No. A great day: one cheater caught!
I assume that there is clean riders probably not in the top 20 but there is at least one inside the peloton.

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6 +2 (according Ashenden) samples with EPO should have banned Lance Armstrong to start next TDF !

We have learnt with Ricco that CERA urine test doesn't "work" every time. Only if the stage was enough difficult. The CERA molecule is big, and only under big stress go inside urine. Not enough EPO molecule inside urine = no positive.
With blood CERA test, he would probably be positive for each stage.

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6 +2 (according Ashenden) samples with EPO should have banned Lance Armstrong to start next TDF !

Not that I know anything about drug testing, but is CERA that easy to detect? It seems likely that many are still using EPO under the radar so why would CERA suddenly be off the menu?

In any case, although I like the Killer, but I doubt even his mother is surprised.

I agree with this.

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Cheap, Strong and Light.
Pick any Two.