In the latest round of Danilo Hondo's court case saga, Wednesday's hearing before the Swiss 'Kantonsgericht' (cantonal court) in Lausanne lasted about two hours before being adjourned without a ruling. The judge explained that he needed time to write up background from the case and the basis for his decision, although no announcement was made as to when that would be.
Hondo, who currently has a contract with Tinkoff Credit Systems, had hoped for a swift return to racing although it now appears that may not be the case. Writing on his website, danilo-hondo.de, the German said: "This means that I won't be able to start at the Giro d'Abruzzo (April 19-22), but I am optimistic that I will be able to start again soon,"
A small amount of the prohibited drug Carphedon was found in Hondo's system during the Vuelta a Murcia in March 2005, while he was riding for Gerolsteiner. In June that year, the Swiss Cycling Federation issued a two year ban, but with one year to be suspended followed by a five year probation period. The Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) ruled in January 2006 that Hondo deserved a two year ban, thereby extending his ban by one year per the advice of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
A Swiss court subsequently overturned that ban and allowed Hondo to return to racing, but the Swiss Supreme Court reinstated his suspension in January 2007. Earlier this month, the CAS issued a clarification that the ban must be 'effectively' served, and the UCI subsequently ordered the suspension to run through January 2008.
