Filthy Luca is back

The 35-year-old Italian almost won the 2009 Giro d'ltalia, then he failed not one, but two tests for EPO and was hit with a two-year suspension.
But if there's something that the likes of Di Luca and Riccardo Ricco continue to prove, it's that you can't keep a good doper down. They simply love the sport and can't wait to come back.
But while Ricco spent much of the winter telling anyone who'd listen that he believes it is possible to win the Giro without doping (how on earth could he possibly know?) Di Luca sought to win favour with the sceptics by offering

to race for love not money. Katusha, being the sort of team that would never look a gift horse in the mouth, was only too happy to overlook Di Luca's recidivist ways and give him another chance. After all, what did they have to lose if Di Luca was offering to ride for nothing?However, there was a snag. ^ First, Di Luca's owes a 6280,000 fine, which was part of his punishment for testing positive. And second, UCI rules insist that all riders have a contract for the minimum wage of €33,000 a year.
No doubt there are ways round this. Di Luca and Katusha could agree a contract but donate the money to charity, or he could waive the payment completely.

But Di Luca's ability to march straight back onto the roster of a WorldTour team after the damage his doping did to the reputation of the sport and some of its most prestigious races once again demonstrates cycling's priorities. Easy publicity and the chance to win a race or two trumps everything else.
And because of his past, it is very difficult to see Di Luca's offer as anything other than a cynical attempt to ensure a return to the top level rather than a gesture prompted by any genuine remorse.

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