Danilo Di Luca

Danilo Di Luca (born 2 January 1976) is a former Italian professional road racing cyclist, best known for winning the 2007 Giro d'Italia, 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; he won the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne in 2005, and Liège–Bastogne–Liège 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, 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, province of Pescara, 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. 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 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 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, Dario Cioni, Stefano Garzelli and Magnus Bäckstedt. He led the team for the spring classics. His first victory came in the first stage of the UCI ProTour race Vuelta al País Vasco, which he won overall after defeating Aitor Osa in the final time trial. He won the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne, 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 came as a surprise. Here he won two stages and finished fourth. He finished fifth in the Tour de Pologne. With a fourth in the 2005 Züri-Metzgete, he became 2005 UCI ProTour champion.

2006 Di Luca was forced to retire from the 2006 Tour de France, due to a urinary infection. He recovered to compete in the 2006 Vuelta a España, winning the fifth stage and holding the lead (ceding it to Janez Brajkovič). 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 in March and Liège–Bastogne–Liège in April. He took stages 4 and 12 en route to the victory in the 2007 Giro d'Italia. 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 when he was suspended before the final race, the Giro di Lombardia, due to alleged involvement in the Oil for Drugs case, for which he was suspended for three months through the close season. He then came second on the fifth stage, gaining the pink jersey 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.

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'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. 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 . He was banned for life by CONI on 5 December. He also had his results stripped from 29 April and ordered to pay €37,985 in fines and costs.

Major results

1994

1997 6th Road race, UCI Road World Under-23 Championships 1998

1st Stage 5b (ITT)

1st Stage 4b (ITT)

1999 2nd Giro di Lombardia 2nd GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano 3rd Giro del Friuli 4th Giro del Veneto 5th Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato 7th Coppa Placci 2000 1st GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano 1st Trofeo Pantalica 1st Stage 5 Giro d'Italia 2nd Overall Tour of the Basque Country 1st Stage 2 6th Overall Memorial Cecchi Gori 2001 1st Giro di Lombardia 1st Trofeo dello Scalatore Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 4

2nd Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 1st Stage 4 2nd Giro del Veneto 3rd GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano 9th Coppa Bernocchi 2002 1st Giro del Veneto 1st Trofeo Laigueglia 1st Gran Premio Fred Mengoni Vuelta a España 1st Stage 2

2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Stages 3 & 5 2nd Tre Valli Varesine 3rd Subida a Urkiola 5th Overall Tour Méditerranéen 6th Clásica de San Sebastián 7th Overall Vuelta a Murcia 9th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 1st Stage 4 9th HEW Cyclassics 2003

1st Stage 3b (ITT) 1st Coppa Placci 1st Tre Valli Varesine 2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Stage 6 2nd Gran Premio Città di Camaiore 3rd Amstel Gold Race 3rd Clásica de San Sebastián 3rd Giro del Veneto 3rd Trofeo Melinda 4th Giro dell'Emilia 8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2004

1st Trofeo Matteoti 1st Stage 4 Vuelta a Murcia 2nd La Flèche Wallonne 2nd Tre Valli Varesine 2nd Gran Premio Città di Camaiore 4th Amstel Gold Race 5th Road race, National Road Championships 5th Overall Uniqa Classic 2005

1st Stage 1 1st Amstel Gold Race 1st La Flèche Wallonne 4th Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stages 3 & 5

4th Züri–Metzgete 4th Giro del Lazio 5th Overall Tour de Pologne 5th Milano–Torino 5th Gran Premio Fred Mengoni 2006 Vuelta a España 1st Stage 5

2nd Giro dell'Emilia 3rd Road race, National Road Championships 6th La Flèche Wallonne 6th Gran Premio Fred Mengoni 6th Trofeo Città di Borgomanero (with Ruggero Marzoli) 9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 9th Giro di Lombardia 9th Züri–Metzgete 2007

1st Stages 1 (TTT), 4 & 12

1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège 1st Milano–Torino 3rd Amstel Gold Race 3rd La Flèche Wallonne 3rd GP Ouest-France 8th Overall Tour de Pologne 10th Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali 1st Stage 3 2008

1st Stage 4 1st Giro dell'Emilia

2nd Giro d'Oro 3rd Giro del Lazio 3rd Memorial Cimurri 5th Gran Premio Nobili Rubinetterie 8th Overall Giro d'Italia 9th Coppa Bernocchi 2009 1st Stage 1 (TTT) Settimana Ciclista Lombarda 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia

1st Stages 4 & 10

8th Overall Giro del Trentino 1st Stage 4 2011 7th Trofeo Inca 8th Trofeo Deià 10th Tre Valli Varesine 2012 1st Gran Premio Nobili Rubinetterie 2nd Road race, National Road Championships 2nd Circuito de Getxo 3rd Coppa Agostoni 3rd Tre Valli Varesine 4th Overall Tour of Austria 1st Stage 2 6th Gran Premio Città di Camaiore 10th Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali 2013 6th Giro di Toscana 10th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish DNS Did not start