October 19, 2007 (Rome, Italy) – Danilo Di Luca (Liquigas) was excluded from the ProTour rankings this Thursday by the UCI, citing article 1.2.133.1 of their regulations. Until receiving a three-month ban for doping from the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) on October 16, the 2007 Giro d’Italia winner had been leading the ProTour with 242 points. Di Lucas won the ProTour series in 2005.

The 31-year-old Italian cyclist was found to have abnormally low levels for an unspecified hormone in urine tests during the 2007 Giro. Di Lucas is also accused of being a patient of Dr. Carlo Santuccione who is at the center of the “Oil for Drugs” doping scandal.

Di Luca is preparing to appeal to the Swiss-based Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) according to a Reuters report today in The Guardian Unlimited, calling the CONI decision “an injustice.”

With Di Luca gone, Australia’s Cadel Evans (Predictor-Lotto) is leading the series with 227 points followed by Spain’s Alberto Contador (Discovery Channel) with 191.