Davide Cassani
Encyclopedia
Davide Cassani is a former road cyclist from Italy
. He now works as a cycling commentator on Italian television.
He was born in Faenza
. In 1982 he made his professional debut with Termolan-Galli. In 1986 he moved to Carrera, where he supported figures such as Claudio Chiappucci
, Roberto Visentini
and Stephen Roche
; Cassani later raced for Gewiss-Bianchi, Ariostea, GB-MG and Saeco. He retired in 1996 after being hit by a car in training.
.
In 2007, he was involved in the withdrawal of Michael Rasmussen
from the Tour de France
. Cassani claimed to have seen Rasmussen in the Dolomites
mountains in Italy
, while Rasmussen and Rasmussen's in-laws claimed that he was in Mexico
at that time. His comment, coupled with other issues concerning Rasmussen, led to his expulsion from the Rabobank team. The claim was first made a week or so before the controversy exploded - as a routine comment during the Rai Tre
afternoon coverage of the Tour. It took the form of a compliment to the athletic dedication of Rasmussen who has apparently been returning from eight hours of mountain training, so Cassani appears to have had no axe to grind against Rasmussen.
Cassani has also collaborated with Ivan Zazzaroni and Pier Bergonzi to write a biography of Marco Pantani
, Pantani. Un eroe tragico (Pantani, a tragic hero).
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. He now works as a cycling commentator on Italian television.
He was born in Faenza
Faenza
Faenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 km southeast of Bologna.Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware glazed earthenware pottery, known from the name of the town as "faience"....
. In 1982 he made his professional debut with Termolan-Galli. In 1986 he moved to Carrera, where he supported figures such as Claudio Chiappucci
Claudio Chiappucci
Claudio Chiappucci is a retired Italian professional cyclist. He was on the podium three times in the Tour de France general classification - second in 1990, third in 1991 and second again in 1992.-Career:...
, Roberto Visentini
Roberto Visentini
Roberto Visentini is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist.Visentini was born in Gardone Riviera, in the province of Brescia, and had a brilliant junior career. In 1975, he was both Junior Italian champion and World Champion. As an amateur he won the 1977 time-trial World...
and Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche is a retired professional road racing cyclist. In a 13-year professional career, he peaked in 1987, becoming only the second cyclist to win the Triple Crown of victories in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia stage races, plus the World road race championship...
; Cassani later raced for Gewiss-Bianchi, Ariostea, GB-MG and Saeco. He retired in 1996 after being hit by a car in training.
Media work
After retiring from cycling, he became a commentator at Italian public broadcaster RAIRAI
RAI — Radiotelevisione italiana S.p.A. known until 1954 as Radio Audizioni Italiane, is the Italian state owned public service broadcaster controlled by the Ministry of Economic Development. Rai is the biggest television company in Italy...
.
In 2007, he was involved in the withdrawal of Michael Rasmussen
Michael Rasmussen
Michael Rasmussen is a Danish professional road bicycle racer who rides for the Danish team Christina Watches-Onfone. In the 2007 Tour de France, Rasmussen, while in the yellow jersey, had his contract terminated by his team and was removed from the Tour...
from the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
. Cassani claimed to have seen Rasmussen in the Dolomites
Dolomites
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
mountains in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, while Rasmussen and Rasmussen's in-laws claimed that he was in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
at that time. His comment, coupled with other issues concerning Rasmussen, led to his expulsion from the Rabobank team. The claim was first made a week or so before the controversy exploded - as a routine comment during the Rai Tre
Rai Tre
Rai 3 is part of RAI, the Italian government broadcasting agency, which owns other channels, such as Rai 1 and Rai 2 . Rai 3 first started transmissions on December 15, 1979. In the eighties it was under the predominant political influence of the Italian Communist Party...
afternoon coverage of the Tour. It took the form of a compliment to the athletic dedication of Rasmussen who has apparently been returning from eight hours of mountain training, so Cassani appears to have had no axe to grind against Rasmussen.
Cassani has also collaborated with Ivan Zazzaroni and Pier Bergonzi to write a biography of Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely considered one of the best climbers in professional road bicycle racing...
, Pantani. Un eroe tragico (Pantani, a tragic hero).
Major victories
- 2 stages in the Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
(1 in 19911991 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1991 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 74th edition of the Corsa Rosa, was held from 26 May to 16 June 1991. It covered 3,715 km completed at an average speed of 37.03 km/h, for a total of 21 stages...
, 1 in 19921992 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1992 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 75th edition of the race, was held from 24 May to 14 June 1992. It covered a total of 3,835 km, in 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 37.017 km/h...
) - Giro del LazioGiro del LazioThe Giro del Lazio is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Lazio, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour....
(1990) - Milano–Torino (1991)
- 3 x Giro dell'EmiliaGiro dell'EmiliaThe Giro dell'Emilia is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is considered one of the most important classic bicycle races in Italy....
(1990, 1991, 1995) - Tour MéditerranéenTour MéditerranéenTour Méditerranéen is a professional road bicycle racing event held in southern France along the Mediterranean Sea. The Tour Méditerranéen is a five-day stage race that began in 1974 and since 2005 has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event...
(1994)