Danilo Di Luca has confessed to doping during much of his professional career in his hard-hitting autobiography but in an exclusive interview with Cyclingnews, he refuses to relinquish his victory at the 2007 Giro d'Italia, insisting he never tested positive during the race and so deserves to keep his victory.
In his book – called 'Bestie di Vittoria' – 'Beasts made for victory', written with Alessandra Carati, Di Luca talks openly about the moment he was caught for a second time in 2013, the wide range of doping products that he used during his career and why he did it.
"If I hadn't doped, I would never have won," Di Luca claims at one point in the book. "Doping improves your performance between 5 and 7 per cent, and maybe 10 to 12 per cent when you are in a peak shape. Doping isn't addictive but it's an instrument of power: whoever wins attracts the money; for themselves, the team and the sponsors.
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"I wrote the book to tell my story, my truth. I was inspired by Andre Agassi's autobiography," Di Luca told Cyclingnews.
"It's not a book about just my doping, it also tells the story of my career, how I fell in love with cycling as a boy, it's also a very personal book because it reveals what happened in my personal life during my career. I've taken responsibility for what I did and stripped myself bare. I made the decision to be part of the system and to dope, when I turned professional, when cycling changed from a simple passion to become my job and the way I earned a living. I think I've been brave. I only talk about my doping and not what other riders did because I will never name other riders. I'm not a snitch.
"Most of all it's a book about what I think is wrong with professional cycling. I wanted to reveal what is wrong with the sport because often that's what leads to riders doping. I wanted to show my former fellow riders that things need to change for their own good. The riders are considered the bottom of the heap but we really should be the most protected and most important part of the sport. The riders are used by the teams and sponsors to make money and so that's why I called my book 'Beasts made for victory'.
- Di Luca sacked by Vini Fantini after EPO positive
- Danilo Di Luca positive for EPO
- CONI calls Di Luca in for questioning
- Di Luca: 90 per cent of riders in Giro d'Italia were doping
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