Luigi Cecchini

Luigi Cecchini (born 1944) is an Italian sports doctor that is active in road bicycle racing. He is well known as maker of excellent training schemes that he writes for his clients as well as use of the SRM cycle computer. Cecchini has also been named in doping investigations into the sport. Some sources claim that Cecchini was a pupil of Michele Ferrari who was a student of Francesco Conconi, but Cecchini himself has denied this [http://www.cyclingheroes.info/cyclingheroes.english2/id725.html] . Cecchini is a former motor-racing pilot and the son of a millionaire shirt manufacturer, who had specialized as a sports scientist under Conconi. In an interview in May 1997 Cecchini was referred to as Bjarne Riis’s coach, medic, and personal advisor who he started to work with in 1992. [cite web|url= http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/may97/8_5.html |title= Bjarne Riis Interview |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] With Cecchini at his side Riis won the 1996 Tour de France.

Investigation

A case against Cecchini was dropped in 2001 due to lack of evidence. [http://velonews.com/article/7015]

Involvement with cycling

Cecchini has worked with many of the most successful cyclists of the late 1990s including Tour de France winners Riis and Jan Ullrich, Classic specialists Michele Bartoli, Olympic time trial gold medallists Tyler Hamilton and the super sprinter Alessandro Petacchi. In 1996 three of his clients Pascal Richard, Rolf Sørensen and Max Sciandri took the podium at the Olympics road race. [cite web|url=http://www.velonews.com/article/7015 |title=Sunday's EuroFile: Riis defends Hamilton's doc; Team news |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] Cecchini was a coach to Jan Ullrich since the winter of 2002/2003. [cite web|url=http://membres.lycos.fr/ramsessworld/page691.htm
title=Deux "préparateurs" veillent sur la carrière des deux favoris|publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08]
David Millar trained under Cecchini’s guidance in May and June 2006. [cite web|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article645839.ece |title=Cycling: Millar seeks reward for cleaning up act |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08]
Damiano Cunego was also a client of Cecchini. [cite web|url=http://www.cyclingpost.com/rider/article_00401.shtml |title= Basso parts ways with doctor Cecchini
publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] Thomas Dekker started working with Cecchini in January 2006 [cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2006/jan06/jan27news |title= Dekker chooses Cecchini |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] but only on training programs. [cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.org/news.php?id=news/2007/jun07/jun05news2 |title= Rabobank changes for Tour of Luxembourg |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] Dekker was under pressure and broke his association with Cecchini. [cite web|url=http://pages.citebite.com/y1o8y9h2t2xhh |title= First Edition Cycling News for June 22, 2007 |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] Linus Gerdemann trained with Cecchini until May, 2006 [http://tour-de-france.velonews.com/article/12749] . In 1996 Cecchini’s clients were very successful with Riis winning the Tour and his other clients dominating the first professional Olympic road race. In 2002 many of his clients obtained success. Bartoli won the Amstel Gold Race and the Giro di Lombardia. Andrea Tafi won the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Mario Cipollini won Milan-Sanremo, Gent-Wevelgem and the World Championship road race.

Team CSC

When Riis moved into team management with Team CSC, he took Cecchini with him. [cite web|url= http://sport.guardian.co.uk/cycling/osm/story/0,,1807247,00.html |title= Life after Lance |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] Tyler Hamilton joined CSC in 2002 and Rijs introduced Hamilton to Cecchini in 2002. Hamilton worked with him until his positive doping test for blood doping. After winning the gold at the Olympics time trial event, Hamilton thanked Cecchini [cite web|url=http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme/20040921_104343Dev.html
title= Cyclisme - Dopage - Tyler Hamilton positif|publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08]

When Ivan Basso joined Team CSC in 2004, Team Manager Riis employed Luigi Cecchini as Basso's personal trainer [cite web|url=http://www.active.com/cycling/Articles/Once_rejected_by_his_team__Basso_is_now_a_top_Tour_contender.htm |title=Once rejected by his team, Basso is now a top Tour contender
publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] . Basso parted ways with Cecchini in April 2006. Basso maintained a private relationship with Dr Luigi Cecchini, who was also Riis' coach in 1996 and involved with CSC until 2004. [ [http://www.velonews.com/race/int/articles/7015.0.html Riis defends Cecchini] , "Velo News"] Cecchini had not been his team's doctor for some years and that he acted as the sporting adviser and trainer to just four CSC riders: Fabian Cancellara, Matti Breschel, Michael Blaudzun and Nicki Sorensen during the 2006 season. [cite web|url= http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/bassos-lawyer-prepares-his-defence-8422 |title= Basso’s lawyers prepare his defence |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08]

Fuentes

Italian police have alleged that Cecchini had an ongoing relationship with Eufemiano Fuentes. [ [http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1806995,00.html Life After Lance] , "The Observer"] It has been written in Italian media that Cecchini was associated with Ferrari and was suspected as being involved in the doping ring of Fuentes in Italy. [cite web|url=http://sport.monstersandcritics.com/othersport/printer_1177652.php |title=Three T-Mobile riders work with controversial doctor |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] [cite web|url= http://pages.citebite.com/p1o7k0r2p1hcm |title= Cecchini-Fuentes connection? First Edition Cycling News for May 12, 2007 |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08] Cecchini denied collaborating with Fuentes [cite web|url= http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/cecchini-boonen-on-fuentes-scandal-8598 |title= Cecchini, Boonen on Fuentes scandal |publisher=|accessdate=2008-04-08]

Clients

* Michele Bartoli, two time winner of the Giro di Lombardia and Liege-Bastogne-Liege
* Ivan Basso, winner of the Giro d’Italia of 2006, received a 2 year ban as part of the 'Operation Puerto' scandal
* Paolo Bettini, Olympic road race champion 2004, world champion in 2006 & 2007
* Michael Blaudzun, Denmark national road race champion 1994, 2004; Denmark national time trial champion 2001, 2003, 2005
* Matti Breschel, winner stage 21 of the 2008 Vuelta a Espana; Bronze medalist 2008 World Championships road race
* Fabian Cancellara, Time trial champion 2006 & 2007; Gold Medalist 2008 Olympic time trial; Bronze Medalist 2008 Olympic road race
* Francesco Casagrande, runner up at the Giro d’Italia 2001
* Angel Casero, winner Vuelta a Espana 2001
* Mario Cipollini, world champion 2002
* Damiano Cunego, winner of Giro d’Italia of 2004
* Thomas Dekker, winner Tirreno-Adriatico 2006 and Tour de Romandie 2007
* Juan Antonio Flecha
* Linus Gerdemann, winner of the 2008 Tour of Germany (Deutschland Tour); winner of stage 7 in the 2007 Tour de France
* Tyler Hamilton, Olympic time trial champion 2004, received a 2 year ban as part of the 'Operation Puerto' scandal
* Jörg Jaksche, admitted blood doping and received a ban as part of the 'Operation Puerto' scandal
* Kim Kirchen, winner La Flèche Wallonne 2008, held green and yellow jerseys in 2008 Tour de France
* Alessandro Petacchi, winner Milan-Sanremo 2005 and Paris-Tours 2007
* Pascal Richard, Olympic road race champion 1996
* Nicki Sørensen, Denmark national road race champion 2003 & 2008
* Andrea Tafi, winner Paris-Roubaix 1999
* Gianni Bugno, winner of Giro d’Italia 1990, world champion in 1991 and 1992
* Bjarne Riis, winner 1996 Tour de France, admitted using EPO during his Tour win
* Maximilian Sciandri, bronze medal Olympic road race 1996
* Rolf Sörensen, winner Ronde van Vlaanderen 1997
* Jan Ullrich, winner 1997 Tour de France, 1999 Vuelta a Espana, World champion time trial 1999, 2001 and Olympic road race champion 2000, forced into retirement as part of the 'Operation Puerto' scandal

References