This just in: Danilo DiLuca has been suspended for three months, effective immediately, for "collusion" with doping doc Santuccione in the "olive oil for drugs" scandal. CONI, the acting agency here, made it clear that DiLuca is not guilty of a doping offense. Just aiding and abetting, or something along those lines. Of the three months, all but this Sunday will coincide with DiLuca's winter vacation, so it's just a one-race ban. And since DiLuca hasn't been heard from much lately, it's not clear he was ready to actually do much this weekend anyway.
Once again, the UCI is presented with an unusual and uncomfortable dilemma: unless Cadel Evans scores a sixth or higher in the Falling Leaves - which he himself calls unlikely (sandbagging alert?) - DiLuca will be crowned the Pro Tour champion at the start of his suspension. The UCI has a system for tacking on bans for doping offenses, but again, this isn't a doping offense. So will they just proceed with DiLuca as if he weren't a doper (which, officially, he isn't), or will they just make shit up as a means to exclude him or yank his Pro Tour title? Somewhere in there is a really horrible idea that is no doubt being floated around the UCI as we speak.