With one day left in Tirreno-Adriatico, Team Katusha rider Danilo di Luca has stated that he is feeling fatigued. “Today I have to admit I was a little tired,” he conceded. “After the really difficult last stretch, I wasn´t able to change my pace and try to sprint. However, I finish these three very hard days with the belief I did a good job and my shape is growing.”
Di Luca returned to racing this season after a lengthy ban for doping. He tested positive for the third generation EPO product CERA during the 2009 Giro d’Italia, where he was second overall and won two stages. He signed a contract with Team Katusha and came back to the sport, saying that he was promising to ride it clean.
Di Luca has performed unexpectedly well in Tirreno Adriatico. He was fifth on stage four to Chieti and fourth on the following day to Castelraimondo. Stage six was a bit tougher, with the Katusah rider crossing the line back in twelfth. He’s now eleventh overall, 56 seconds off the overall time of race leader Cadel Evans.
HTC Highroad rider Marco Pinotti is on the same time as Di Luca, and may have been referring to his controversial compatriot earlier when he stated, “Just found out an extra motivation for tomorrow's TT.”
That Twitter comment has been interpreted by some as a subtle statement that he intends proving a point against Di Luca in the 9.3 kilometre test at San Benedetto del Tronto.
Pinotti is widely regarded as a very clean rider, and he may well be frustrated by Di Luca’s return to racing. He is one place ahead of him on GC and will consequently be chasing him in the test.