Giro d?Italia winner and current ProTour leader Danilo Di Luca has been banned for three months by the Italian Olympic committee for his links to Dr Carlo Santuccione.
The anti-doping investigators of the Italian Olympic Committee had requested a four-month ban for the Liquigas rider but following a 90-minute hearing in Rome on Tuesday morning, the panel of seven Italian Olympic Committee judges gave the 31 year-old from central Italy a three month ban.
If Di Luca manages to hold on to the ProTour title, the UCI will face the embarrassment of awarding their most prestigious prize to a rider suspended and under further investigation for doping. The three-month suspension will also affect Di Luca 's long-term future. Liquigas have refused to renew his contract for 2008 and he has only had limited offers from LPR and Lampre.
"I don't want to say I'm angry but I'm definitely disappointed. I'm going to carry on fighting because I'm convinced that I'm innocent," he said.
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