Paolo Savoldelli (born 7 May 1973 in

Clusone Clusone ( Bergamasque: ) is an Italian town and ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy. Located in the Val Seriana, it received the honorary title of city on 15 May 1957 with a presidential decree which ratified a Napoleon's promis ...

, province of Bergamo) 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 ...

road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 and

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 ...

. Savoldelli was a climber but known for his fast downhill riding. He is

nickname A nickname is a substitute for the proper name of a familiar person, place or thing. Commonly used to express affection, a form of endearment, and sometimes amusement, it can also be used to express defamation of character. As a concept, it is ...

d ''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 Sestriere (/se'strjɛre/) ( oc, Sestrieras, pms, Ël Sestrier, french: Sestrières) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the French border. Its name ...

in the penultimate stage, closed a gap to

Gilberto Simoni Gilberto Simoni (born 25 August 1971 in Palù di Giovo, Trentino) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, most recently for . Simoni is twice winner of the Giro d'Italia cycling race (2001 and 2003 editions). Simoni might have wo ...

, preserving his lead and giving him the win. On 20 July 2005, Savoldelli won the 17th stage of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

. He led in 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 worked for teammate

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 ...

. 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 RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana (; commercially styled as Rai since 2000; known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane) is the national public broadcasting company of Italy, owned by the Ministry of Economy and Finance. RAI operates many ter ...

, 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 Michele Ferrari (born 26 March 1953) is an Italian physician, cycling coach and author, who is mostly known for his role in supplying bicycle racers with performance-enhancing drugs, notably EPO. His most famous client was Lance Armstrong. Biog ...

. 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 The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in the Belgian city of Seraing with a individual time trial. The race came to a close with a mass-start road stage that stretched from ...

Career achievements

Major results

;1996 : 10th Overall

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of ...

;1997 : 1st Stage 4

Hofbrau Cup The Schwabenbräu Cup (1988–1990), Hofbräu Cup (1992–1997) or Dekra Open (1999–2000) was a short professional multi-day cycling race held annually in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country i ...

;1998 : 1st Jersey violet

Overall

Giro del Trentino The Tour of the Alps is an annual professional cycling stage race in Italy and Austria. First held in 1962, it was named Giro del Trentino ( en, Tour of Trentino) until 2016, and run over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region o ...

::1st Stage 2 : 9th Overall Giro d'Italia : 10th Overall

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. It ...

;1999 : 1st Jersey violet

Overall

::1st Stage 1 : 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 Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 14 : 4th Overall

;2000 : 1st Jersey green

Overall

::1st Prologue : 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 3 ;2001 :

::1st Prologue & Stage 2 : 4th 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 ...

;2002 : 1st Jersey pink

Overall Giro d'Italia : 7th Overall

;2004 : 6th Overall

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 ...

: 9th

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 ...

;2005 : 1st Jersey pink

Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 11 : 1st Stage 17

: 9th

Klasika Primavera The Klasika Primavera ( en, Spring classic) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in Amorebieta, Spain. Since 2005, the race is organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road ...

;2006 : 1st Prologue

: 4th Overall

: 5th Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st jersey blue

Combination classification ::1st Prologue ;2007 : 1st Stage 20 Giro d'Italia : 2nd Overall

::1st Prologue ;2008 : 2nd 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 ...

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

DNF = Did not finish

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Savoldelli, Paolo Giro d'Italia winners 1973 births People from Clusone Living people Italian male cyclists Italian Tour de France stage winners Italian Giro d'Italia stage winners Cyclists from the Province of Bergamo Doping cases in cycling Italian sportspeople in doping cases