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Wednesday, August 12, 2009 Di Luca fired by team by VeloNation Press at 4:53 PM EST   comments Categories: Pro Cycling, Doping   Italian Danilo Di LUca has been fired by his LPR - Brakes team after his B sample came back positive for EPO. The 33-year-old tested positive for CERA two times during his home Tour. First with a sample taken on May 20, and then again with a sample taken on May 28. The former Giro d'Italia winner came finished a close second to Russian Denis Menchov in this year's edition of the race, winning two stages and wearing the Maglia Rosa for eight days. Di Luca has already been provisionally suspended by the International Cycling Union (UCI), and is set to answer to the Italian Olympic Committee in a hearing on August 26th. According to La Gazzetto Dello Sport, a lifetime ban is not all the Italian should be worried about, as his former sponsor LPR Brakes have announced that they will take legal action against the cyclist for damaging their image. The Italian, who has said he would retire if the second test was positive, was already battling a tarnished image. Di Luca served a three-month suspension in 2007 for his part in the "Oil for Drugs" scandal.       comments Follow @Pro_Cycling Tweet Subscribe via RSS or daily email Contact the editor about this article