Luigi Cecchini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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. Cecchini was a pupil of Michele Ferrari who was a student of Francesco Conconi.
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.[1] With Cecchini at his side Riis won the 1996 Tour de France.
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[edit] Investigation
A case against Cecchini was dropped in 2001 due to lack of evidence.
[edit] 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 Sorensen and Max Sciandri took the podium at the Olympics road race. [2] Cecchini was a coach to Jan Ullrich since the winter of 2002/2003. [3] David Millar trained under Cecchini’s guidance in May and June 2006.[4] Damiano Cunego was also a client of Cecchini.[5] Thomas Dekker started working with Cecchini in January 2006[6] but only on training programs.[7] Dekker was under pressure and broke his association with Cecchini.[8] 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.
[edit] Team CSC
When Riis moved into team management with Team CSC, he took Cecchini with him. [9] 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 [10]
When Ivan Basso joined Team CSC in 2004, Team Manager Riis employed Luigi Cecchini as Basso's personal trainer [11]. Basso parted ways with Cecchini in April 2006. Basso maintained a private relationship with Dr Luigi Cecchini, a sports scientist who worked with Conconi and who was also Riis' coach in 1996 and involved with CSC until 2004.[12] 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.[13]
[edit] Fuentes
Italian police have alleged that Cecchini had an ongoing relationship with Eufemiano Fuentes.[14] 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.[15] [16] Cecchini denied collaborating with Fuentes [17]
[edit] 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
- Paolo Bettini, Olympic road race champion 2004, world champion in 2006 & 2007
- Fabian Cancellara Time trial champion 2006 & 2007
- 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
- Juan Antonio Flecha
- Tyler Hamilton, Olympic time trial champion 2004
- Jörg Jaksche
- Kim Kirchen
- Alessandro Petacchi winner Milan-Sanremo 2005 and Paris-Tours 2007
- Pascal Richard Olympic road race champion 1996
- 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
- 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
[edit] References
- ^ Bjarne Riis Interview. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Sunday's EuroFile: Riis defends Hamilton's doc; Team news. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Deux "préparateurs" veillent sur la carrière des deux favoris. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Cycling: Millar seeks reward for cleaning up act. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Basso parts ways with doctor Cecchini. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Dekker chooses Cecchini. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Rabobank changes for Tour of Luxembourg. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ First Edition Cycling News for June 22, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Life after Lance. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Cyclisme - Dopage - Tyler Hamilton positif. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Once rejected by his team, Basso is now a top Tour contender. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Riis defends Cecchini, Velo News
- ^ Basso’s lawyers prepare his defence. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Life After Lance, The Observer
- ^ Three T-Mobile riders work with controversial doctor. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Cecchini-Fuentes connection? First Edition Cycling News for May 12, 2007. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
- ^ Cecchini, Boonen on Fuentes scandal. Retrieved on 2008-04-08.
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