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Danilo Di Luca finished second in the 2009 Giro before being stripped of his result because of a doping violation. Photo: Graham Watson | www.grahamwatson.com PONTE DI LEGNO, Italy (AFP) — Italian cyclist Danilo Di Luca (Vini Fantini-Selle Italia), currently competing at the 96th Giro d’Italia, has been “provisionally suspended” after testing positive for EPO in an out-of-competition test before the race.
Di Luca, who has already served a ban for failing a doping test at the Giro and has been embroiled in other doping affairs, tested positive for the banned blood booster at the end of April.
The UCI, cycling’s international governing body, said it had “provisionally suspended” the rider, who risks a heavy sanction if found guilty.
“The decision to provisionally suspend this rider was made in response to a report from the WADA accredited laboratory in Cologne indicating an Adverse Analytical Finding of EPO in a urine sample collected from him in an out-of-competition test on 29 April 2013,” the UCI said.
“The provisional suspension of Mr. Danilo Di Luca remains in force until a hearing panel convened by the Italian Cycling Federation determines whether he has committed an anti-doping rule violation under Article 21 of the UCI Anti-Doping Rules.”
Di Luca was without a contract at the start of the season but managed to sign for the second division team Vini Fantini, which was assured a place in the three-week race.
Despite having only two days of racing in his legs, the 37-year-old Di Luca was called to the team in time for the May 4 start in Naples. Although he has failed to win a stage or challenge in the GC, Di Luca has often been seen on the attack.
Di Luca finished 10th in Thursday’s uphill time trial behind stage winner and overall race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana), who now has a 4:02 over his closest rival, Australian Cadel Evans (BMC Racing), with two stages to race. The Italian is 26th, 33:33 behind Nibali.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, whose parent company RCS owns and organizes the race, Di Luca tested positive for EPO during a test at his home on April 29.
Di Luca, who won the 2007 Giro, has a doping past. He returned two positive doping tests from samples taken during the 2009 edition of the race, which he finished as runner-up behind Russian Denis Menchov.
Di Luca denied doping at that time but finally confessed and earned a more lenient sanction. Instead of a two-year ban, he was suspended for 15 months.
Di Luca also had abnormal results from test samples at the 2007 Giro. That prompted a prosecutor to demand a two-year ban, but the cyclist was cleared at the 11th hour by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) due to a lack of evidence.
Friday’s 19th stage, the first of two consecutive days in the mountains, was canceled by organizers because of heavy snow on a revised route.
A number of mountains cut due to snow
MORI, Italy (VN) — Heavy snow across the mountains of northern Italy has forced Giro d’Italia officials to cancel Friday’s 19th stage.
Organizers made the decision before 10 a.m. local time, citing adverse weather conditions and snowfall on the roads.
Bad weather had already prompted Giro officials to re-route Friday’s course in an attempt to salvage a critical day of racing. On Thursday evening, both the Gavia (2,618 meters) and Stelvio (2,758m) were taken out.
In their place were the Passo del Tonale (1,883m) and Passo Castrin (1,706m) in a new 160-kilometer route that pushed east and then north. But everyone woke up Friday morning to discover snow and ice on Tonale, and there were reports of snow on the upper reaches of the finish line at Val Martello (2,059m).
Riders across the peloton breathed a sigh of relief. Reaction was near universal that the organizers made the correct call.
“Looking at the snow this morning, and the weather forecast, my question was, ‘how could you have possibly have a race?’ To race, to be healthy, and have a good race, to make it safe for everyone; that’s quite impossible. The organizers did the right thing,” said Cadel Evans (BMC Racing). “What can we do? We cannot control the weather.”
Instead of racing, riders and staff piled into team buses and cars and drove toward their scheduled hotels for Friday night. Most were planning a light training ride on what turned out to be a third rest day at the Giro.
The weather cancellation will have major implications on the GC battle as the three-week Giro winds down.
Friday’s stage was one of two decisive mountaintop finishes that, under normal conditions, would have shaken up the overall standings.
Following his stage victory in Thursday’s climbing time trial, race leader Vincenzo Nibali (Astana) has a solid grip on the pink jersey, now 4:02 ahead of Evans.
The battle for the podium and some of the other classifications, such as the points and white jerseys, are far from settled.
Rigoberto Urán (Sky) is in third, just 10 seconds behind Evans, while Michele Scarponi (Lampre-Merida) is within range of the podium in fourth at 1:12 behind Evans.
“Tomorrow is going to be an important day. Because we’re not racing today, it will be an even more important day,” Evans said. “We need to train and recover, and be at a our best for tomorrow.”
Officials are monitoring road conditions for Saturday’s “queen stage” across the Dolomites. The five-climb, 203km stage tackles five high mountains all over 1,700m, with the Tre Cime summit coming at 2,304m.
Organizers are hoping to salvage at least some of Saturday’s stage despite forecasts calling for continued cold weather, rain, and snow in higher elevations.
It will be difficult to try to reroute Saturday’s stage, however, because access to the Tre Cime valley requires going over high-altitude passes from all directions.
The 96th Giro is scheduled to end Sunday with a flat stage from Riese Pio X to Brescia. At least there is no threat of snow for that day.
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Timmy Duggan won the 2012 U.S. road title with a brash, solo attack. Along with women's champion Megan Guarnier, he'll look to repeat on Monday. Photo: Casey B. Gibson | www.cbgphoto.com The new-look U.S. professional road championships are set to kick off on Saturday in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with wide-open men’s and women’s fields, equal prizes, and live video coverage. National champions Megan Guarnier (Rabobank) and Timmy Duggan (Saxo-Tinkoff) face tall orders in their repeat bids, but a win in Chattanooga could be the highest profile national title since the race moved out of Philadelphia almost a decade ago.
After seven years in Greenville, South Carolina, the Volkswagen USA Cycling Professional Road and Time Trial National Championships will debut in Chattanooga this weekend. The event, the first in which the men’s and women’s professional races will coincide at the same location, promises fans both twice the action and unprecedented broadcast coverage — including a live telecast of the men’s road race and streaming online and mobile coverage of both events. The men’s and women’s time trials will be held Saturday, May 25, with road races scheduled for Monday, May 27.
Defending road race champions Duggan and Guarnier will both be on hand to defend their distinctive champions’ jerseys, each adorned with the stars and stripes of the United States. They’ll be fighting for the same prize money as well, as the event is offering equal payouts to the top 20 in each race.
Despite its new locale, the road course features a familiar format, with beginning and ending circuits through downtown Chattanooga separated by 16.1-mile laps, each including a three-mile climb of Lookout Mountain (1,150 feet of elevation gain). The men will complete the climb four times for a total distance of 100.6 miles, with the women completing two laps (63.1 miles).
Though eager to stage a defense of his title, Duggan admitted his year in the stars and stripes has been less than ideal. The Saxo rider, a resident of Nederland, Colorado, suffered a broken tibia and collarbone during stage 3 of January’s Santos Tour Down Under. Early season injuries aside, Duggan considers Monday’s defense a major priority.
“Winning the national championship has meant a lot to me,” he told VeloNews. “It’s an honor you’re reminded of each day when you put that jersey on. I’m sure hoping to win again in Chattanooga. I do not want to give my jersey back.”
Duggan returned to racing at April’s Presidential Tour of Turkey and arrives in Tennessee fresh off of the Amgen Tour of California.
Like her male counterpart, women’s road champion Megan Guarnier plans a vigorous, albeit solo, defense. In late 2012, the New York native became the first American woman to sign with the Rabobank squad of world champion and Olympic gold medalist Marianne Vos.
For Guarnier, who was named to the long team for the 2012 Summer Olympics — but ultimately not to the team — the chance to wear the stars and stripes was an opportunity to regain her confidence.
“It was an emotional roller coaster of a year, but wearing that jersey has been amazing,” she said. “There’s a lot to road racing that’s unpredictable. [Winning again] will be hard, but I’ve come to Chattanooga to give it my best.”
Though they’ve never met, the defending road champions will share more than a jersey this weekend. Each is the lone American representative for a European squad.
In Guarnier’s case, this means her Tennessee support team consists of a party of one: her fiancé. Duggan, who will also be without his team’s logistical support, has made plans to partner with former Cannondale teammate Ted King and 2011 champion Matthew Busche (RadioShack-Leopard) — all three are without teammates, with RadioShack’s Chris Horner and 2010 champion Ben King set to miss the race with injuries.
But don’t expect the loose alliance the trio have dubbed “Team No Team” to extend to the road. Busche told VeloNews that all bets are off when it comes to capturing the stars and stripes — even among those fielding sizable teams.
“Even when you’ve got guys there wearing the same kit, it’s an interesting situation at nationals,” Busche told VeloNews. “At the end of the day, it’s all about that jersey, so it can be a tricky situation when it comes to sacrificing for a teammate. Believe you me, [Timmy, Ted, and I] won’t be racing as a team on the road. But it’s nice to buddy up as far as logistics go.”
Amgen injuries take out both TT champs
While the road race is slated to see the return of both reigning champions, injuries sustained at the Amgen Tour of California will prevent the start of each defending time trial champion. Garmin-Sharp’s multiple-time champion David Zabriskie was forced to abandon the Amgen Tour after sustaining a broken collarbone while doing course recognizance ahead of the stage 6 time trial one week ago today. Former world champion Amber Neben (Pasta Zara) was likewise removed from contention after suffering a broken hip and ribs during the women’s invitational time trial.
The absence of the dominating Zabriskie, in particular, holds open the prospect of an unusually competitive field, with BMC Racing’s Brent Bookwalter, Optum-Kelly Benefit Strategies’ Tom Zirbel and Scott Zwizanski, and Bontrager’s Nathan Brown among likely podium contenders.
Specialized-lululemon’s Evelyn Stevens is a double threat in the women’s field. The winner of last week’s Amgen Tour women’s TT is also a serious contender for the road title, as are former champion Robin Farina (NOW-Novartis for MS), Janel Holcomb (Optum), and Exergy Twenty16’s Kristin McGrath and Alison Tetrick.
Both the men and women will compete on a rolling, 19-mile TT course adjacent to sponsor Volkswagen’s Chattanooga plant. Riders will complete two out-and-back runs of 9.5 miles each, allowing spectators to view each rider multiple times.
Fans unable to participate on-site will enjoy enhanced broadcast coverage. Both Saturday’s time trials and Monday’s road races will be carried live online and on mobile devices via Tour Tracker. Universal Sports will air coverage of the final two hours of the men’s race Monday, beginning at 4 p.m. EDT. The live broadcast will include highlights from the time trials and women’s road race, with Craig Hummer, Robbie Ventura, and Olympic gold medalist Kristin Armstrong sharing commentary duties. A recap of the weekend will air Sunday, June 2 at 1 p.m. EDT on NBC Sports Network.
VeloNews contributor Dan Wuori will be reporting all weekend from Chattanooga. For live updates follow @dwuori on Twitter.
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