Danilo Di Luca

Personal information
Full name	Danilo Di Luca
Nickname	The Killer
Date of birth	January 2, 1976 (1976-01-02) (age 31)
Country	Italy
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Weight	61 kg (134 lb)
Team information
Current team	Liquigas
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Professional team(s)
1998 1999 2000–2001 2002–2004 2005–2007 2008–	Riso Scotti Cantina Tollo-Alexia Acqua & Sapone Saeco-Longoni Sport Liquigas Team LPR
Major wins
UCI ProTour Champion (2005) Giro d'Italia (2007), 6 stages Vuelta a España, 2 stages Amstel Gold Race (2005) Giro di Lombardia (2001) La Flèche Wallonne (2005) Liège-Bastogne-Liège (2007) Vuelta al País Vasco (2005)
Infobox last updated on:
June 3, 2007

Danilo Di Luca (born January 2, 1976) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. He rides for the Liquigas cycling team on the UCI ProTour. In his career, he has won the 2005 UCI ProTour, the 2007 Giro d'Italia, two monument cycling races—the Giro di Lombardia in 2001 and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in 2007—and has completed the Ardennes triple, with wins in the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne in 2005 in addition to his 2007 Liège-Bastogne-Liège win. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 358 × 598 pixelsFull resolution‎ (600 × 1,003 pixels, file size: 137 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Danilo di Luca przed startem Tour de Pologne 2005. ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Kg redirects here. ... The pound or pound-mass (abbreviations: lb, , lbm, or sometimes in the United States: #) is a unit of mass (sometimes called weight in everyday parlance) in a number of different systems, including the imperial and US and older English systems. ... is the 154th day of the year (155th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 2nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1976 Pick up sticks(MCMLXXVI) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Queen song, see Bicycle Race. ... Road bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing sport held on roads (following the geography of the area), using racing bicycles. ... Team Liquigas (UCI Team Code: LIQ) is an Italian professional road bicycle racing team in the UCI ProTour. ... A cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races of any kind, whether they are recreational or professional. ... The UCI ProTour is a competition under the International Cycling Union (UCI). ... 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. ... Overview of the stages The 2007 Giro dItalia cycle race takes place from May 12 until June 3, 2007. ... The Giro di Lombardia (English: Tour of Lombardy) is an Italian cycle race, based in the Lombardy region. ... Liège-Bastogne-Liège, often called La Doyenne (the oldest woman), is one of the five Monuments of the European professional road cycling calendar, and the oldest. ... The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle racing race held (mostly) in the southern part of the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. ... La Flèche Wallonne is a major professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium. ...

Early years

Born in Spoltore, province of Pescara, Di Luca began his professional career in 1998 in the Italian Riso Scotti team. He showcased his talents by winning the under 23 version of the Giro D'Italia. However, his first pro win did not come until 1999, when, after moving to team Cantina Tollo-Alexia, he won the first stage of the Giro d'Abruzzo. He still remained in the team after its fusion with Acqua & Sapone, taking important wins in 2001 such as the fourth stage of the Giro d'Italia and the Autumn classic Giro di Lombardia. Then, he transferred to team Saeco-Longoni Sport. Spoltore is a comune and town in the Province of Pescara in the Abruzzo region of Italy Abruzzo · Communes of the province of Pescara Categories: | ... Pescara (It. ... The Giro dItalia, also simply known as the Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May or early June in and around Italy. ... The Classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional cycling road races in the international calendar. ... The Giro di Lombardia (English: Tour of Lombardy) is an Italian cycle race, based in the Lombardy region. ... Saeco was the name of an Italian road bicycle racing team, sponsored by the company with the same name. ...

During his time at Saeco-Longoni he had a long stroke of bad luck, which began when he lost the Vuelta al País Vasco on the last stage, a mountain time trial in which Andreas Klöden took the lead and the final win. Combined with a succession of injuries and a lack of confidence of the team directors, his performance suffered. In 2004 Italian officials investigated Di Luca for doping. Says cyclingnews.com "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."^[1][2] The Tour of the Basque Country (Spanish: Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco, Basque: Euskal Herriko txirrindulari itzulia) is an annual cycling stage race held in the Basque Country in April. ... Andreas Klöden, (born 22 June 1975 in Mittweida, Germany), is a professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour T-Mobile Team. ... Eddy Mazzoleni (29 July 1973—) is a professional tour cyclist. ... Doping is generally the practice of adding impurities to something. ...

2005

In 2005, Di Luca switched to the newly formed Liquigas-Bianchi team, with teammates such as Mario Cipollini, Dario Cioni, Stefano Garzelli, and Magnus Bäckstedt. He was the leader of the team for the spring classics campaign. His first victory in this season came in the first stage of the UCI ProTour race Vuelta al País Vasco, where he also took the overall win after defeating Aitor Osa in the final time trial. He truly excelled in the spring classics, where he won the Amstel Gold Race and La Flèche Wallonne, taking the ProTour Leader's White Jersey. Pro Cycling Team Liquigas-Bianchi (short form: Liquigas-Bianchi) in an Italian road bicycle racing team in the UCI ProTour. ... Mario Cipollini. ... Dario David Cioni (born December 2, 1974 in Reading, Berkshire, England) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour team Predictor-Lotto. ... Stefano Garzelli (born July 16, 1973, in Varese) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. ... Magnus Bäckstedt (born 30 January 1975 in Linköping, Sweden) is a Swedish professional road bicycle racer whose greatest achievement was winning the Paris-Roubaix in 2004. ... The UCI ProTour is a competition under the International Cycling Union (UCI). ... The Tour of the Basque Country (Spanish: Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco, Basque: Euskal Herriko txirrindulari itzulia) is an annual cycling stage race held in the Basque Country in April. ... Aitor Osa Eizaguirre (born September 9, 1973 in Zestoa) is a Spanish former road bicycle racer. ... |- !style=background:#ccf;| 2005 UCI ProTour      |- | colspan=12 | These are the results for the 2005 edition of the Amstel Gold Race cycling classic, which gave Liquigas-Bianchi its first major classic win. ... |- !style=background:#ccf;| 2005 UCI ProTour      |- | colspan=12 | These are the results for the 2005 edition of La Flèche Wallonne cycling classic, won by Danilo di Luca from Italy. ...

Although Di Luca had won the under 23 version of the Giro d'Italia in 1998, he was seen as a rider best suited to single day races or races lasting only a few days. Thus, his success in the 2005 Giro d'Italia came as a surprise to many. Here he notched two stage wins, stayed close to the end, and finished fourth. He finished in a solid fifth place in the Tour de Pologne. With a fourth place in the 2005 Züri-Metzgete, he secured first place in the season-long ProTour individual rankings to become the 2005 UCI ProTour Champion. The 88th Giro dItalia was held in 2005 from May 7 to May 29, running for about 3500 kilometers. ... The peloton in the 2004 Tour of Poland. ... |- !style=background:#ccf;| 2005 UCI ProTour      |- | colspan=12 | These are the results for the 2005 edition of the Züri-Metzgete race, won by Paolo Bettini after a long breakaway under the rain. ... 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. ...

2006

Di Luca was the first athlete to retire from the 2006 Tour de France when he pulled out due to a urinary infection. Nevertheless, he recovered in time to compete in the 2006 Vuelta a España, winning the fifth stage and holding the leader's jersey (ceding it later in the race to Janez Brajkovič). Although not without success, Di Luca's performances in the classics, the Giro, and other races, were a letdown from the triumphs of 2005. The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. ... The 61st Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from August 26 to September 17, 2006. ... Janez Brajkovič (born December 18, 1983, Metlika) is a racing cyclist from Slovenia was the world under-23 Time Trial champion in Verona, he rides for Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team on the UCI ProTour. ...

2007

Di Luca roared back by winning the Milano-Torino in March and Liège-Bastogne-Liège in April. Again, many pundits discounted Di Luca's chances to win a Grand Tour. But Di Luca proved them wrong, taking stages 4 and 12 en route to the overall victory in the 2007 Giro d'Italia. After the Giro was finished, it was revealed that Di Luca had unspecified low hormone levels in urine tests. Italian authorities are trying to determine whether the abnormal results are a natural consequence of racing at a high level for three weeks, or some kind of masking agent.^[3] On September 28, Di Luca withdrew from the UCI Road World Championships calling his treatment "a scandal" after he had been accused of doping allegations. Race Logo courtesy of the race organisers (www. ... The 2007 edition of the cycling monument Liège-Bastogne-Liège will take place on April 29. ... Overview of the stages The 2007 Giro dItalia cycle race takes place from May 12 until June 3, 2007. ... is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... The 2007 UCI Road World Championships - Mens Road Race took place on September 30, 2007. ...

Di Luca was stripped of his ProTour Title late in the 2007 season because of alleged involvement in various drug scandals leaving his dominant spring campaign and Giro D'Italia victory in doubt.^[4]

Major achievements

Acqua & Sapone-Adria Mobil in 2005. ... The GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano is a road bicycle race held annually in Larciano, Italy. ... The Trofeo Pantalica was a professional road bicycle race held annually in Province of Syracuse, Italy. ... The 2000 Giro dItalia was held 13 May through 04 June. ... The Tour of the Basque Country (Spanish: Vuelta Ciclista al País Vasco, Basque: Euskal Herriko txirrindulari itzulia) is an annual cycling stage race held in the Basque Country in April. ... The Giro di Lombardia (English: Tour of Lombardy) is an Italian cycle race, based in the Lombardy region. ... The 84th Giro dItalia (long-distance professional bicycle race) was held in 2001 from 19 May to 10 June. ... The Catalan Cycling Week (Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme in Catalan) is the second most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Catalonia and one of the most important in Spain. ... Saeco was the name of an Italian road bicycle racing team, sponsored by the company with the same name. ... The Giro del Veneto is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. ... The Trofeo Laigueglia is an early season road bicycle race held annually in Liguria, Italy. ... Tirreno-Adriatico, the race of the two seas, is an elite cycle race following a route between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts of Italy. ... The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Comunitat Valenciana region of Spain. ... The Coppa Placci is a semi classic European bicycle race held between Imola, Italy and San Marino. ... The Amstel Gold Race 2003 was the 38th edition of the road bicycle race Amstel Gold Race, held on Sunday April 20, 2003 in the Limburg province, The Netherlands. ... The Tre Valli Varesine is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Varese, Italy. ... Tirreno-Adriatico, the race of the two seas, is an elite cycle race following a route between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts of Italy. ... The Brixia Tour is an Italian cycle road race. ... The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia (English: Tour of Murcia) is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. ... La Flèche Wallonne is a major professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium. ... The Amstel Gold Race 2004 was the 39th edition of the annual road bicycle race Amstel Gold Race, held on Sunday April 18, 2004 in the Limburg province, The Netherlands. ... Pro Cycling Team Liquigas-Bianchi (short form: Liquigas-Bianchi) in an Italian road bicycle racing team in the 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. ... |- !style=background:#ccf;| 2005 UCI ProTour      |- | colspan=12 | These are the results for the 2005 edition of the Amstel Gold Race cycling classic, which gave Liquigas-Bianchi its first major classic win. ... |- !style=background:#ccf;| 2005 UCI ProTour      |- | colspan=12 | These are the results for the 2005 edition of La Flèche Wallonne cycling classic, won by Danilo di Luca from Italy. ... These are the results for the 2005 edition of the Vuelta al País Vasco race, where Danilo di Luca prevailed in the overall classification. ... The 88th Giro dItalia was held in 2005 from May 7 to May 29, running for about 3500 kilometers. ... |- !style=background:#ccf;| 2005 UCI ProTour      |- | colspan=12 | These are the results for the 2005 edition of the Züri-Metzgete race, won by Paolo Bettini after a long breakaway under the rain. ... |- !style=background:#ccf;| 2005 UCI ProTour      |- | colspan=12 | These are the results for the 2005 edition of the Tour de Pologne cycling race. ... The 61st Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from August 26 to September 17, 2006. ... The 70th edition of the La Flèche Wallonne cycling classic was held on April 19, 2006. ... The 92nd edition of the Liège-Bastogne-Liège cycling classic was held on April 23, and stretched 262 kms, altough it did not finish in traditional location of Liège, Belgium as the name of the race suggests, but rather in the small town of Ans just outide... Race Logo courtesy of the race organisers (www. ... The 2007 edition of the Amstel Gold Race cycling race will take place on April 22. ... The 71st edition of the La Flèche Wallonne cycling classic will be held on April 25, 207. ... The 2007 edition of the cycling monument Liège-Bastogne-Liège will take place on April 29. ... The Settimana internazionale di Coppi e Bartali (English: Internatinal Week of Coppi and Bartali) is an Italian cycle road race. ... Overview of the stages The 2007 Giro dItalia cycle race takes place from May 12 until June 3, 2007. ... Image File history File links Jersey_pink. ... Paolo Bettini (born April 1, 1974) is an Italian road cyclist with the Belgian Quick Step-Innergetic professional cycling team. ... The UCI ProTour is a competition under the International Cycling Union (UCI). ... Alejandro Valverde Belmonte (born April 25, 1980 in Las Lumbreras, Murcia) is a Spanish cyclist. ... Ivan Basso (born November 26, 1977) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, most recently with Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team. ... The Giro dItalia, also simply known as the Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May or early June in and around Italy. ...

References

External links

Official Website: http://www.danilodiluca.com (English)

• Danilo Di Luca profile
• Palmarès at Trap-Friis.dk