Gianni Savio has died at the age of 76. The historic Turin manager, a key figure in Italian cycling, left us after a long illness.

For many he was the “Prince”, a supreme connoisseur of cycling and a great talent scout, first as a sports director and then as a manager.

In his thirty-year career he has directed important riders such as Andrea Tafi (who turned professional at the end of 1988), Nelson Rodríguez, Leonardo Sierra, Andrea Ferrigato, Romāns Vainšteins, Freddy González, Carlos Alberto Contreras, José Rujano, Iván Parra, José Serpa, Michele Scarponi, Jackson Rodríguez, Franco Pellizotti, Fausto Masnada, Egan Bernal, Iván Ramiro Sosa and Mattia Cattaneo.  

Savio has always had a special bond with South America , in addition to discovering talents in countries such as Colombia and Venezuela , he later covered the role of technical commissioner of the national team (first in Colombia and then in Venezuela).  

It was with Gianni Savio at the helm that Colombia achieved its only world championship seal, Santiago Botero's victory in the time trial at the 2002 Road World Championships. The last pure talent he discovered was undoubtedly Egan Bernal, who, before being dogged by bad luck, wrote history by becoming the first Colombian to win the Tour de France.  

We remember Gianni Savio for an episode , when he showed us extreme kindness by accepting an invitation to one of our live shows .

On that occasion he perfectly fit into the atmosphere of our live broadcasts, talking about cycling with sincere passion and even joking about Cepeda, one of the riders who became legendary for the spectators in our living room.  

We want to remember Gianni Savio like this, with a smile. May the earth be light on you, rest in peace.