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Paolo Savoldelli
	Savoldelli at 2006 Tour of California
Personal information
Full name	Paolo Savoldelli
Nickname	Il Falco ("The Falcon")
Born	7 May 1973 (age 51); Clusone, Italy
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Professional teams
1996–1997	Roslotto–ZG Mobili
1998–2001	Saeco
2002	Index-Alexia Alluminio
2003–2004	Team Telekom
2005–2006	Discovery Channel
2007	Astana
2008	LPR Brakes–Ballan
Major wins
	Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (2005) Giro d'Italia General classification (2002, 2005) Combination classification (2006) 4 individual stages (1999, 2005, 2006, 2007) Stage races Tour de Romandie (2000) Giro del Trentino (1998, 1999)

Paolo Savoldelli (born 7 May 1973 in Clusone, province of Bergamo) is a former Italian road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 and 2005 Giro d'Italia.

Savoldelli was a climber but known for his fast downhill riding. He is nicknamed Il Falco ("the falcon"). His downhill skills won him the 2005 Giro. His descent of the Colle delle Finestre before the final ascent to Sestriere in the penultimate stage, closed a gap to Gilberto Simoni, preserving his lead and giving him the win.

On 20 July 2005, Savoldelli won the 17th stage of the Tour de France. He led Astana in the 2007 Giro d'Italia, but worked for teammate Eddy Mazzoleni.

Savoldelli retired from competitive professional cycling at the end of the 2008 season.^[1] He did not leave the cycling world however, as he embarked on a career covering the sport in the media.

As of 2012, Savoldelli worked for the Italian television channel RAI, providing viewers with commentary on cycling races. He comments from a motorbike, offering insights from a first-hand point of view.^[2] He concludes each of his interventions with an emphatic "A Voi!" (Italian for "Back to you!"), which became his trademark.^[3]

Despite having already retired, in May 2014 Savoldelli was banned from bicycle racing for six months for being a client of the infamous doping doctor, Michele Ferrari.^[4] Later his name was tied to evidence in the 2012 USADA Report as "Rider 1," and he is said to have set up and used EPO doping in the 2006 Giro d'Italia.^[5]^[6]

Career achievements

Major results

1996

10th Overall Volta a Catalunya

1997

1st Stage 4 Hofbrau Cup

1998

1st

Overall Giro del Trentino

1st Stage 2

9th Overall Giro d'Italia

10th Overall Tour de Romandie

1999

1st

Overall Giro del Trentino

1st Stage 1

1st Trofeo Laigueglia

2nd Overall Giro d'Italia

1st Stage 14

4th Overall Tour de Romandie

2000

1st

Overall Tour de Romandie

1st Prologue

3rd Overall Giro del Trentino

1st Stage 3

2001

Tour de Romandie

1st Prologue & Stage 2

4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico

2002

1st

Overall Giro d'Italia

7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico

2004

6th Overall Tour of Britain

9th Tre Valli Varesine

2005

1st

Overall Giro d'Italia

1st Stage 11

1st Stage 17 Tour de France

9th Klasika Primavera

2006

1st Prologue Tour de Romandie

4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico

5th Overall Giro d'Italia

1st

Combination classification

1st Prologue

2007

1st Stage 20 Giro d'Italia

2nd Overall Tour de Romandie

1st Prologue

2008: 2nd Overall Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Giro d'Italia	—	13	9	2	24	14	1	—	—	1	5	12	15
Tour de France	33	—	—	DNF	41	—	—	—	—	25	DNF	—	—
/ Vuelta a España	—	—	DNF	—	—	DNF	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	—

Legend
—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish

DNF = Did not finish

References

^ "Paolo Savoldelli Retires". Velochimp. Velochimp. 9 September 2008. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
^ "Pooley. Binda. Again". BikeRadar. Future Publishing Limited. 1 April 2011. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
^ "Sulle strade di casa Savoldelli parla bergamasco "...a oter!"... la linea". bicibg (in Italian). Duemilacom. 26 May 2011. Archived from the original on 1 May 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
^ "Paolo Savoldelli banned for six months". Future Publishing. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
^ "Affidavits of Cyclists in USADA Report on Lance Armstrong". Wall Street Journal. 10 October 2012.
^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 April 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)