Just a few days before the start of the Giro, Franco Pellizotti was accused of irregularities in his blood values by the UCI and the biological passport, but now it appears that Pellizotti could be back racing in time for the Italian Championships, followed soon after by the Tour de France.
When the news of Pellizotti's suspicious values was released, his Liquigas team unsurprisingly took one of the favorites and its team co-leader for the Giro out of the race before it even got going.
Soon after the dismal news, things started to take a turn for the better or defiant depending on how you look at it. Two weeks following his removal from the Giro start list, Pellizotti went before CONI and pushed forward his defense that he was innocent. The Liquigas-Doimo rider asked for a two week extension to gather more information for his case from CONI's lead prosecutor, Ettore Torri, which Torri granted.
In the meantime, the next stop could be a return to the professional peloton. Pellizotti's Liquigas team has taken a firm stance in support of their rider, a stance made very clear by recent Tour of California stage winner, Francesco Chicchi: "The team has obviously stood behind Franco, since they haven't received any other word from the UCI. We stand behind him 100% and hope everything comes good for Franco. The biological passport is still in a bit of an experimental stage."
Team manager, Roberto Amadio, is of the same opinion as Chicchi. He spoke critically of the biological passport and insists that his rider will race again barring any bad news.
"As long as his case is not filed, he will race both the Italian Championship and the Tour de France. Next week, we will take 15 riders to a training camp at San Pellegrino - Franco will also be there. He is not suspended and remains a part of the team."
Can it get any worse for the UCI right now?