Danilo Di Luca (born 2 January 1976) is a former

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

professional road racing cyclist, best known for winning the

2007 Giro d'Italia The 2007 Giro d'Italia was the 90th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place from 12 May to 3 June 2007. The race began in Sardinia and finished in Milan, and featured five mountain top finishes, of which one wa ...

, but also for several positive doping tests, the last of which resulting in a lifetime ban from the sport. Di Luca is also one of six riders to have won each of the three

Ardennes classics The Ardennes classics are three cycling classics held in mid-April in the Belgian Ardennes and southern Limburg in the Netherlands: Liège–Bastogne–Liège, La Flèche Wallonne and Amstel Gold Race. First held in 1892, 1936 and 1966 respectiv ...

; he won the

Amstel Gold Race The Amstel Gold Race is an annual one-day classic road cycling race held in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It traditionally marks the turning point of the spring classics, with the climbers and stage racers replacing the cobbled classic ...

and

La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week betw ...

in 2005, and

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five '' Monuments'' of the European professional ...

in 2007. During his career, Di Luca rode for the Riso Scotti, , , , , , and squads. Di Luca's career was also dogged by numerous infractions, involving three suspensions in relation to doping. In 2007, Di Luca was suspended for three months towards the end of the season, for visiting previously banned doctor Carlo Santuccione, which later escalated into the Oil for Drugs case. In 2009, at the Giro d'Italia, Di Luca tested positive on two occasions for CERA, and was given a backdated – to July 2009 – two-year ban in February 2010, which was later reduced to nine months. His third positive test came just before the

2013 Giro d'Italia The 2013 Giro d'Italia was the 96th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started in Naples and finished in Brescia. Vincenzo Nibali of team Astana won the general classification. Teams As a UCI World Tour race, t ...

, when he tested positive for erythropoietin (EPO) in an out-of-competition test. Di Luca expressed surprise at the test results, but he was given a lifetime ban in December 2013. Danilo Di Luca wrote his autobiography ''Bestie da Vittoria'', which means "Beasts for victories". Such book is also a denunciation of the use of doping substances among cyclists and the use of anti-doping controls as a way to manipulate competition results.

Career

Early years

Born in

Spoltore Spoltore (locally ''Spuldórë'') is a ''comune'' and town in the province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is lo ...

province of Pescara The province of Pescara ( it, provincia di Pescara; Abruzzese: ') is a province in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Its provincial capital is the city Pescara, which has a population of 119,483 inhabitants. As of 2017, it has a total population of ...

, Di Luca began his professional career in 1998 in the Riso Scotti team. He showed talent by winning the under-23 version of the Giro D'Italia. His first pro win was in 1999, when, moving to Cantina Tollo-Alexia Alluminio, he won the first stage of the Giro d'Abruzzo. He remained in the team taking wins in 2001 such as the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia and the

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia ( en, Tour of Lombardy), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five ' Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in ...

. Then, he transferred to Saeco-Longoni Sport. During his time at Saeco-Longoni he lost the Vuelta al País Vasco on the last stage, a mountain time trial in which

Andreas Klöden Andreas Klöden (born 22 June 1975) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 1998 and 2013. His major achievements include a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympic Games and finishing second in the gen ...

took the lead and the win. Combined with injuries and lack of confidence of the team directors, his performance suffered. In 2004 Italian officials investigated Di Luca for doping. Cyclingnews.com said: "Di Luca was recorded in several phone conversations with

Eddy Mazzoleni Eddy Mazzoleni (born 29 July 1973) is a former Italian professional road bicycle racer who most recently rode for UCI ProTour Astana Team. Biography He currently lives in Almenno San Bartolomeo, Italy. Mazzoleni is a talented climber and was a ...

in which he allegedly talked about doping products, the investigation led to Di Luca's non-participation in the 2004 Tour de France."

2005

In 2005, Di Luca switched to , with

Mario Cipollini Mario Cipollini (; born 22 March 1967), often abbreviated to "Cipo", is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance (his first pro win came in 1988, his last in 2005; 170 p ...

, Dario Cioni, Stefano Garzelli and

Magnus Bäckstedt Magnus Bäckstedt (born 30 January 1975)L'Équipe, France, 12 April 2004. is a Swedish former professional road bicycle racer. His most notable achievement in cycling is winning Paris–Roubaix in 2004. Early life Born in Linköping, Östergöt ...

. He led the team for the spring classics. His first victory came in the first stage of the

UCI ProTour The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, ...

race Vuelta al País Vasco, which he won overall after defeating

Aitor Osa Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (born September 9, 1973) is a Spanish former road bicycle racer. He is an older brother of Unai Osa. He was involved in the Operación Puerto doping case. Major results ;1996 : 6th Overall Vuelta a La Rioja : 9th GP Vil ...

in the final time trial. He won the

and

, taking the ProTour leader's white jersey. Di Luca was seen as suited to races lasting only a few days. His success in the

2005 Giro d'Italia The 2005 Giro d'Italia was the 88th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Reggio Calabria with a prologue. The race came to a close with a mass-start road stage that stretched from Albese con Cassano to ...

came as a surprise. Here he won two stages and finished fourth. He finished fifth in the

Tour de Pologne The Tour de Pologne ( Polish: ''Wyścig Dookoła Polski'', English: ''Tour of Poland'', official abbreviation TdP,) is an annual, professional men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stages ...

. With a fourth in the 2005 Züri-Metzgete, he became

2005 UCI ProTour The 2005 ProTour was the first year of the newly introduced UCI ProTour system, in which the ProTour teams are guaranteed, and obliged to, participate in the series of ProTour races. In certain ways the ProTour replaced the UCI Road World Cup seri ...

champion.

2006

Di Luca was forced to retire from the

2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between the 1st and the 23rd of July. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of Floyd Landis. Due to the United ...

, due to a urinary infection. He recovered to compete in the

2006 Vuelta a España The 2006 Vuelta a España was held from 26 August to 17 September 2006, and was the 61st edition of the race. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of , and was won by Alexander Vinokourov of the cycling team. The Points classification in th ...

, winning the fifth stage and holding the lead (ceding it to

Janez Brajkovič Janez "Jani" Brajkovič (born 18 December 1983) is a racing cyclist from Metlika, Slovenia, who most recently rode for UCI Continental team . He was the world under-23 Time Trial champion in 2004. In 2018, while riding for the team, Brajkovi� ...

). Di Luca's performances in the classics, the Giro, and other races, were a letdown from the triumphs of 2005.

2007

Di Luca won

Milano–Torino Milano–Torino is a semi classic European single day cycling race, between the northern Italian cities of Milan and Turin over a distance of 199 kilometres. The event was first run in 1876 making it the oldest classic race in the world. The ev ...

in March and

in April. He took stages 4 and 12 en route to the victory in the

. After the Giro, it was revealed that Di Luca had unspecified low hormone levels. Italian authorities are determining if they are a consequence of racing at a high level for three weeks or some kind of masking agent. On 28 September, Di Luca withdrew from the UCI road championship calling his treatment "a scandal" after doping allegations. Di Luca was leading the

2007 UCI ProTour The 2007 UCI ProTour was the third year of the Union Cycliste Internationale, UCI UCI ProTour, ProTour system. Following a dispute and power struggle between the UCI and the organisers of the Grand Tours, ASO, RCS and Unipublic, a number of events ...

when he was suspended before the final race, the

, due to alleged involvement in the Oil for Drugs case, for which he was suspended for three months through the close season.

2008–2009

In 2008, Di Luca had a quiet year as his new team, , were not invited to many races. In 2009, they received a wildcard entry to the Giro d'Italia and Di Luca won the fourth stage. He then came second on the fifth stage, gaining the

pink jersey Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

as race leader, and extended his lead by winning the tenth stage. He lost time on the two time trial stages and finished second overall, winning the

points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...

. On 22 July 2009, it was announced that Di Luca had tested positive for CERA on 20 and 28 May 2009, during the Giro d'Italia. He was provisionally suspended with immediate effect by the UCI. He had been targeted for testing using information from his

biological passport An athlete biological passport is an individual electronic record for professional athletes, in which profiles of biological markers of doping and results of doping tests are collated over a period of time. Doping violations can be detected by n ...

's blood profile, previous test results and his race schedule. On 8 August, his positive tests were confirmed. On 1 February 2010, the Italian Olympic committee (CONI) suspended him for two years (effective as of 22 July 2009) for the Giro doping incident. Di Luca must also pay a fine, as well as the costs incurred in both the analysis and counter-analysis of his Giro samples: Di Luca indicated his intention to contest the decision.

2010–2011

On 15 October 2010, CONI announced that Di Luca's ban had been reduced to nine months and seven days, allowing Di Luca to return as of that very day (though the season was nearly over). This was due to his reported cooperation with investigators, detailing doping methods. CONI also announced the reduction of Di Luca's fine, from €280,000 to €106,400, but the UCI contends that he will still have to pay the full amount based on when his doping incident occurred. His results from the 2009 Giro were stricken from the record. In the 2011 season, he competed for , and his performances were somewhat mitigated since he held no victories. His notable results were fourth of the Giro d'Italia's 6th stage and fourth in the Tour de Suisse's first stage. After the season, Di Luca signed a contract for the 2012 season with .

2013

In April 2013, Di Luca signed for the team, who were subsequently awarded a wildcard place to race in the Giro d'Italia. On 24 May, while Di Luca was riding in the Giro, the UCI announced that he had had an adverse finding in an out-of-competition doping test at his home on 29 April. Di Luca was fired by his team who instructed him to leave the race by his own means. He was banned for life by

CONI The Italian National Olympic Committee ( it, Comitato Olimpico Nazionale Italiano, CONI), founded in 1914 and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), is responsible for the development and management of sports activity in Italy. ...

on 5 December. He also had his results stripped from 29 April and ordered to pay €37,985 in fines and costs.

Career achievements

Major results

;1999 : 1st 1 stage Giro d’Abruzzo : 2nd

;2000 : 1st

GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano The GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano is a road bicycle race held annually in Larciano, Italy. After 2005, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing Road ...

: 1st Trofeo Pantalica : 1st 1 stage Giro d'Italia : 1st 2 stages Giro d’Abruzzo : 2nd Overall

Tour of the Basque Country The Tour of the Basque Country (Officially: ''Itzulia Basque Country'', es, Vuelta al País Vasco, links=no, eu, Euskal Herriko Itzulia) is an annual road cycling stage race held in the Spanish Basque Country in April. It is one of the races ...

::1st 1 stage ;2001 : 1st

: 1st 1 stage, Giro d'Italia : 2nd 1 stage,

Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme The Catalan Cycling Week (''Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme'' in Catalan) was a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Catalonia, Spain. Held annually from 1963 until 2005, it was run as a 2.HC race on the UCI Europe Tour in the second half of March ...

: 1st Overall Giro d'Abruzzo ::1st 1 stage ;2002 : 1st

Giro del Veneto The Giro del Veneto is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. The race is a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2012 the race merged with another Italian classic, Coppa Placci The Coppa Placci is a semi cla ...

: 1st GP Fred Mengoni : 1st

Trofeo Laigueglia The Trofeo Laigueglia is an early season road bicycle race held annually in Liguria, Italy. From 2005 to 2014, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is held about ten days after the opening to the Italian season, the G ...

: 2nd Overall

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...

::1st 2 stages : 1st 1 stage

Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (; en, Tour of the Valencian Community or Tour of Valencia) is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community (''Comunitat Valenciana''), Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is ofte ...

: 1st 1 stage

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...

;2003 : 1st

Coppa Placci The Coppa Placci is a semi classic European bicycle race held between Imola, Italy and San Marino. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after Antonio Placci, a cyclist born in Imola ...

: 1st

Tre Valli Varesine The Tre Valli Varesine is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Varese, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is usually the first and most important race of Trittico Lombardo, which con ...

: 1st 1 stage,

: 1st Overall Tour de Ligure ::1st 1 stage : 3rd

;2004 : 1st Trofeo Matteoti : 1st Brixia Tour : 1st Stage 4

Vuelta a Murcia The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia ( en, Tour of Murcia) is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. The first four editions were reserved to amateurs. Originally the race was held in early March and consisted of five stages. However, d ...

: 2nd

: 4th

;2005 : 1st Jersey white

: 1st

Overall

::1st Stage 1 : 1st

: 1st

: 4th Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stages 3 & 5 : 4th Züri–Metzgete : 5th Overall

;2006 : 1st Stage 5

: 6th

: 9th

: 9th Züri–Metzgete ;2007 : 1st Jersey pink

Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stages 4 & 12 : 1st

: 1st

: 1st Stage 3 Settimana Internazionale Coppi e Bartali : 3rd

: 3rd

;2008 : 1st Overall

Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda The Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda ( en, Lombardic Cycling Week) is an Italian cycle road race. In 2007, the race was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing Road bicycle ...

::1st Stage 4 : 1st

Giro dell'Emilia The Giro dell'Emilia is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour, and since 2020 it's part of the UCI ProSeries calendar. The ...

: 1st

Mountains classification

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...

: 8th Overall Giro d'Italia ;2009 : 1st Stage 4 Giro del Trentino : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT) Settimana Ciclista Lombarda : ~~2nd Overall Giro d'Italia~~ ::1st
Points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...
::~~1st Stages 4 & 10~~ ;2012 : 1st

Gran Premio Nobili Rubinetterie The Gran Premio Nobili Rubinetterie was a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Arona, Italy between 1997 and 2015. It was held primarily as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle ra ...

: 4th Overall

Tour of Austria The Tour of Austria (german: Internationale Österreich Rundfahrt) is a stage cycling race held in Austria. From 1949 to 1995 it was a race for amateur cyclists, turning into a professional event in 1996. In 2005 and 2006 it was organised as a 2 ...

::1st Stage 2 ;2013 : 6th

Giro di Toscana The Giro di Toscana is a road bicycle race held annually in Tuscany, Italy. From 2005 to 2014, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race was not held in 2015. On 4 April 2016 it was announced that the race will ...

: 10th

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

DNF=Did not finish DSQ=Disqualified

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Di Luca, Danilo Italian male cyclists Giro d'Italia winners Italian sportspeople in doping cases Italian Giro d'Italia stage winners Italian Vuelta a España stage winners Doping cases in cycling Sportspeople from the Province of Pescara 1976 births Living people Cyclists from Abruzzo Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Italy UCI ProTour winners Sportspeople banned for life People from Spoltore

Career

Early years

2005

2006

2007

2008–2009

2010–2011

2013

Career achievements

Major results

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

See also

References

External links