Gianni Savio, the Italian team manager who discovered many of the best South American riders and helped them race in Europe has passed away aged 76 after a long illness.
Savio managed teams for the last 40 years, often fighting to find a multitude of sponsors to fill the team's jersey and cover even a tiny budget while securing a wild card invitation to the Giro d'Italia.
His love and passion for the sport overcame every difficulty but a serious illness had kept him away from races in the last year, with only a brief but emotional visit to recent editions of the Giro.
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His daughters Annalisa and Nicoletta announced the death of their beloved father late on December 30, sparking an outpouring of grief and emotion in the Italian and global cycling community.
"He taught us the value of family, righteousness, respect and generosity towards those less fortunate in life. He taught us to be courageous and proud," his daughters wrote.
"He taught us to face life with the same determination that he always asked his riders to show in races."
Savio was skilled at discovering talented young riders and signing riders who needed a second chance after a doping suspension or who were returning from injury. Some complained that he paid them very little but most were eternally grateful and were happy to see him at races.
He helped Leonardo Sierra, Nelson Rodriguez, Michele Scarponi, Fausto Masnada, Davide Rebellin, Andrea Tafi, Gilberto Simoni, Jose Rujano, Egan Bernal and many others in different moments of their careers.
He tied the best young South American talents to long contracts, helped them to success in Europe but then demanded a 'development bonus' from the superteams who signed them. Savio earned a reported €350,000 after Bernal moved from Androni Giocattoli to Team Sky in 2018. He was years ahead of current agents and team managers, who now strike deals to break contracts.
Savio often spent the winter and early season in South America with his trusted talent scouts and friends as they discovered new young riders. He was the Colombian national coach when Santiago Botero won the world time trial title in 2002 and also worked for Venezuela. He spent his life on the road, attending almost every race his teams competed in. He preferred to avoid rider food in race hotels and often joined race officials and the media to enjoy a drink and talk about cycling.
Savio was affectionately nicknamed 'il Principe - the Prince' in Italy for his softspoken Turin accent, and his elegance and respect for everyone he spoke to. He always wore a jacket and often passed by the press room to try to convince the media to write about his rider who had bravely gone in the break or was leading the mountains classification.
He spoke Spanish, French and English and often called Cyclingnews about his latest young talent, a new sponsor and his thoughts on the sport. A brief phone call often lasted half an hour but was always informative and inspiring.
Savio liked to recall his talents as a young football player and explained how he brought management skills from the game to professional cycling. His grandfather was an Italian independent champion and he started working in professional cycling in 1982, with the Turin-based Galli component brand.
He became the team manager of the Santini-Selle Italia team three years later and never stopped loving the sport. Leonardo Sierra won the first stage of the Giro d'Italia over the Mortirolo in 1990. In 1995, Savio's ZG team joined forces with Telekom to ride the Tour de France as a rare mixed team.
He discovered Ivan Parra, Josè Rujano and many others over the years, and was immensely proud to see Bernal go on to win the Tour de France 2019. Androni Giocattoli was a long-term sponsor, as Savio spun deals with minor sponsors and packed every inch of the red and white jersey.
The team became Drone Hopper-Androni Giocattoli after the Covid-19 pandemic but the Spanish drone start-up company struggled to pay what they promised. Savio refused to give in, despite some early health problems and created the GW Shimano-Sidermec Continental team.
The team was expected to continue in 2025, but Savio's health problems meant he became less and less involved. In the final months of 2024, Savio's health worsened but he loved spending time with his grandson Edoardo, the son of Nicoletta and former rider Fabio Felline.
"He will always be in our hearts," Annalisa and Nicoletta wrote in their farewell message.
"We'll tell ourselves that he's only left for one of his long trips to a race, we'll continue to feel that he's still with us."
