Hondo eligible to race this weekend

German sprinter Danilo Hondo is free to return to racing this weekend, according to the UCI. "The UCI informs that the German rider will be able to resume competition on 1st April 2006," the organisation said in a statement yesterday.

Hondo tested positive for Carphedon during the Vuelta Ciclista in Murcia on 3 and 4 March 2005 and was suspended for one year by the Swiss cycling federation. He appealed the ban to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, which upheld it and extended it to two years. Two weeks ago, Hondo appealed again, this time to a Swiss civil court, and had the extension of the ban set aside.

In its statement, the UCI concluded, "The UCI reminds nevertheless that the UCI ProTeams' position with respect to any rider implied in a doping case also follows from the Code of conduct signed by said ProTeams and not only from the UCI Regulations." That code of conduct prevents ProTour teams from hiring riders found guilty of doping infractions for up to four years.