Paolo Savoldelli
.jpg) Savoldelli at 2006 Tour of California | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Paolo Savoldelli |
| Nickname | Il Falco ("The Falcon") |
| Born | (1973-05-07) 7 May 1973 Clusone, Italy |
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) |
| Weight | 70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | All-rounder |
| Professional teams | |
| 1996–1997 | Roslotto–ZG Mobili |
| 1998–2001 | Saeco |
| 2002 | Index-Alexia Alluminio |
| 2003–2004 | Team Telekom |
| 2005–2006 | Discovery Channel |
| 2007 | Astana |
| 2008 | LPR Brakes–Ballan |
| Major wins | |
| Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (2005) Giro d'Italia General classification (2002, 2005) Combination classification (2006) 4 individual stages (1999, 2005, 2006, 2007) Tour de Romandie (2000) Giro del Trentino (1998, 1999) | |
Paolo Savoldelli (born 7 May 1973 in Clusone, province of Bergamo) is a former Italian road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 and 2005 Giro d'Italia.
Savoldelli was a climber but known for his fast downhill riding. He is nicknamed Il Falco ("the falcon"). His downhill skills won him the 2005 Giro. His descent of the Colle delle Finestre before the final ascent to Sestriere in the penultimate stage, closed a gap to Gilberto Simoni, preserving his lead and giving him the win.
On 20 July 2005, Savoldelli won the 17th stage of the Tour de France. He led Astana in the 2007 Giro d'Italia, but worked for teammate Eddy Mazzoleni.
Savoldelli retired from competitive professional cycling at the end of the 2008 season. He did not leave the cycling world however, as he embarked on a career covering the sport in the media.
As of 2012, Savoldelli worked for the Italian television channel RAI, providing viewers with commentary on cycling races. He comments from a motorbike, offering insights from a first-hand point of view. He concludes each of his interventions with an emphatic "A Voi!" (Italian for "Back to you!"), which became his trademark.
Despite having already retired, in May 2014 Savoldelli was banned from bicycle racing for six months for being a client of the infamous doping doctor, Michele Ferrari. Later his name was tied to evidence in the 2012 USADA Report as "Rider 1," and he is said to have set up and used EPO doping in the 2006 Giro d'Italia.
Career achievements
Major results
1996 10th Overall Volta a Catalunya 1997 1st Stage 4 Hofbrau Cup 1998 1st
Overall Giro del Trentino
1st Stage 2
9th Overall Giro d'Italia
10th Overall Tour de Romandie
1999
1st Overall Giro del Trentino
1st Stage 1
1st Trofeo Laigueglia
2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 14
4th Overall Tour de Romandie
2000
1st 
Overall Tour de Romandie
1st Prologue
3rd Overall Giro del Trentino
1st Stage 3
2001
Tour de Romandie
1st Prologue & Stage 2
4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
2002
1st 
Overall Giro d'Italia
7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
2004
6th Overall Tour of Britain
9th Tre Valli Varesine
2005
1st Overall Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 11
1st Stage 17 Tour de France
9th Klasika Primavera
2006
1st Prologue Tour de Romandie
4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
5th Overall Giro d'Italia
1st 
Combination classification
1st Prologue
2007
1st Stage 20 Giro d'Italia
2nd Overall Tour de Romandie
1st Prologue
2008
2nd Overall Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia
|
— | 13 | 9 | 2 | 24 | 14 | 1 | — | — | 1 | 5 | 12 | 15 |
 Tour de France
|
33 | — | — | DNF | 41 | — | — | — | — | 25 | DNF | — | — |
/ Vuelta a España
|
— | — | DNF | — | — | DNF | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
DNF = Did not finish
References
- ^ "Paolo Savoldelli Retires". Velochimp. Velochimp. 9 September 2008. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ "Pooley. Binda. Again". BikeRadar. Future Publishing Limited. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ "Sulle strade di casa Savoldelli parla bergamasco "...a oter!"... la linea". bicibg (in Italian). Duemilacom. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
- ^ "Paolo Savoldelli banned for six months". Future Publishing. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
- ^ "Affidavits of Cyclists in USADA Report on Lance Armstrong". Wall Street Journal. 10 October 2012.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
External links
- Paolo Savoldelli at Cycling Archives
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Paolo Savoldelli.