Luca Paolini

Paolini at the 2013 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

Personal information

Full name

Luca Paolini

Nickname

Il Gerva

Born

17 January 1977
Milan, Italy

Height

1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)

Weight

66 kg (146 lb)

Team information

Current team

Team Katusha

Discipline

Road

Role

Rider

Rider type

Classics specialist

Professional team(s)

2002

Mapei-Quick Step

2003–2005

Quick Step-Davitamon

2006–2007

Liquigas

2008–2010

Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo

2011–

Team Katusha

Major wins

Grand Tours

Giro d'Italia

1 individual stage (2013)

Vuelta a España

1 individual stage (2006)

One-day races and Classics

Giro del Piemonte (2002)

Brabantse Pijl (2004)

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2013)

Gent–Wevelgem (2015)

Medal record

Competitor for Italy
Road bicycle racing
World Championships
Bronze	2004 Verona	Elite Men's Road Race

Infobox last updated on
5 January 2015

Luca Paolini (born 17 January 1977 in Milan) is an Italian road bicycle racer who has been professionally riding since 2000. He started his sports career in the early 2000s by joining Mapei-Quick Step (2000–2002), UCI ProTeam directed by Patrick Lefevere. Within Mapei-Quick Step and then its successor team Quick Step-Innergetic (2003–2005), Luca Paolini achieved several victories. Among them were first places at Gran Premio di Lugano, Giro del Piemonte and Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli. He has also won stages at Tour of Britain and Tour de Wallonie.

Career

Paolini in the Maglia Rosa at the 2013 Giro d'Italia

Seasons 2006–2007 and 2008–2010 Luca Paolini spent in two Italian cycling team – Liquigas and Acqua & Sapone respectively. As their member, he triumphed at certain stages of Vuelta a España and Three Days of De Panne, won one-day races Gran Premio Città di Camaiore, Trofeo Laigueglia, Coppa Placci as well as Coppa Bernocchi. Meanwhile, his bright victories attracted a particular attention from anti-doping bodies. As his name appeared in taped phone conversations together with Ivan Basso and his sister Elisa, he was suspected in illegal drugs usage.^[1] In September 2006 Paolini's home was searched in a doping investigation which was called Operazione Athena^[2] – however it appears that no evidence was found that led to any conviction of Paolini's fault, so Team Liquigas refused to suspend him.^[3]

In 2011 he was signed by Russian Team Katusha to be a domestique for Filippo Pozzato both at classics and Grand Tours. However, due to Pozzato's poor performance and traumas in season 2011, he switched to other co-riders and pursued his personal goals in the peloton. In autumn 2011 he finished third at Giro del Piemonte having taken his first podium for Team Katusha.^[4] In 2013, Paolini took the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad after breaking away from the leading group with Omega Pharma-Quick Step's Stijn Vandenbergh. The pair resisted and Paolini won the sprint after Vandenburgh took long pulls in the final kilometers.^[5] In Milan – San Remo, Paolini finished in the lead group in fifth position, as MTN-Qhubeka's Gerald Ciolek won the race.^[6]

In 2015, Paolini won a very windy and difficult edition of Gent–Wevelgem, as only 39 riders out of 160 finished the race. Paolini attacked his breakaway companions with five kilometers to go and benefited from a disorganized chase to win solo.^[7]