'When there is business involved, this is how it works' - Riccardo Riccò opens up on doping past

Riccò, once nicknamed “The Cobra”, was one of the standout riders of his generation, making his mark in races such as the Giro d’Italia. His rise, however, became inseparable from one of cycling’s darkest periods, when doping scandals repeatedly shook the sport.

“I almost died because of a blood transfusion,” he said to La Stampa. “I was doping when everyone was doping.” The practice he refers to, reinfusing stored blood to boost performance, was widely used at the time to avoid detection. In his case, a mistake nearly proved fatal.

Riccò is direct about his past, speaking more about the consequences than the justifications. “I do not make excuses,” he said. “But things were different then. When there is business involved, this is how it works.”

Despite later proving in court that he had no role in trafficking substances, his career never recovered. Sporting authorities imposed a lifetime ban, extending what had initially been a suspension set to end in 2025. “I proved in court that I had nothing to do with substance dealing, but sporting justice wanted me out for good and they did it,” he said.

His career once peaked at events like the Giro d’Italia, where he battled the best riders of his generation. Names such as Paolo Bettini and Damiano Cunego represent, in his view, rare exceptions in a peloton he claims was deeply compromised. “Look at the list of the strongest riders,” he said. “Almost all were caught, except a few.”

The fallout was not only professional. Riccò described a long period of depression and detachment from cycling. “For ten years I could not even watch races. It hurt too much,” he said. Over time, therapy helped him process what had happened and find a different balance.

Three years ago, he got back on the bike. Not as a comeback, but as something personal. “Now it is just pleasure, but I still have the competitive spirit,” he said, adding that he still compares his times with current professionals through training apps.

His new life is grounded in simplicity. For the past decade, he has run a gelato shop in Vignola, far from the spotlight. At the same time, he has reconnected with cycling in a different role, coaching amateur riders and sharing advice online. “I know a thing or two about cycling,” he said. “I worked hard and I won, so why not pass that on?”