Mattia Gavazzi (Androni Giocattoli) crashed out of the sprint(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Mattia Gavazzi (Androni Giocattoli) sprinted to victory in the 7th and final stage of the Tour de San Luis.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Mattia Gavazzi chats with his Androni Giocattoli manager Gianni Savio prior to stage 2.(Image credit: Bettini Photo)
Mattia Gavazzi's troubled career as a professional rider appears to have come to an end after the Italian sprinter and the Androni–Venezuela team consensually agreed to rescind their contract for the 2014 season.
Gavazzi has battled with problems with cocaine since he was a junior but seemed to have made a full recovery in recent years and was given a second chance Androni team manager Gianni Savio. He beat Peter Sagan to win the final stage of the Tour de San Luis last year and also rode part of the Giro d'Italia with the Androni team before being disqualified for holding onto vehicles on a climb in the finale of stage 16.
Gavazzi had been set to ride with Androni-Venezuela in 2014, alongside new signings Johnny Hoogerland, Kenny Van Hummel and team leader Franco Pellizotti but the team announced that he had decided to rescind his contract "for personal reasons and technical differences with the team."
The team thanked Gavazzi for his success while riding with them but offered no details or reasons for Gavazzi's decision. Savio refused to give further details when contacted by Cyclingnews.
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Stephen is one of the most experienced members of the Cyclingnews team, having reported on professional cycling since 1994. Before becoming Editor-at-large, he was Head of News at Cyclingnews. He has previously worked for Shift Active Media, Reuters and Cycling Weekly. He is a member of the Board of the Association Internationale des Journalistes du Cyclisme (AIJC).
