Trek-Segafredo team manager Luca Guercilena steps down after cancer diagnosis
The 48-year-old has announced he has got Lymphoma
Team manager of the American-registered team Trek-Segafredo, Luca Guercilena, has announced that he will step down from his role after being diagnosed with cancer.
The Italian, 48, revealed in a statement on the Trek-Segafredo website that he will be taking a break from the sport to focus on recovering from the illness. He revealed that is was Lymphoma, a cancer that targets the Lymph glands in the body.
In the statement, Guercilena said: "After so many years travelling around the world, following the races alongside my team, it’s time for me to take a break. A few days ago I started to fight against a strong enemy, a lymphoma, which will require all my efforts and the warmth of my family, lifelong friends and Trek-Segafredo team-mates.
"It will take time, but I’m relieved that the team is in very good hands thanks to an experienced group of people that will lead until I am back."
Guercilena began his cycling career twenty years ago at the Italian/Belgian team of Mapei - Quick-Step, before moving over to the then called Leopard-Trek team in 2011. Guercilena is a rare breed of team manager as he did not have a career in racing himself.
Since then, the team has performed brilliantly with Monument wins at Il Lombardia by Bauke Mollema, Milan-San Remo with Jasper Stuyvan and now-retired Fabian Cancellara at Paris-Roubaix and Tour of Flanders, as well as various wins from former world champion Mads Pedersen.
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Some of cycling's biggest names have paid tribute to Guercilena on Twitter since Tre-Segafredo posted the statement. Those included Peter Sagan (Bora-Hansgrohe), WorldTour teams as well as lower ranked squads, former UCI president Brian Cookson, former pro Stuart O'Grady, Deceuninck - Quick-Step boss Patrick Lefevere, Toms Skujiņš, the rest of the Trek-Segafredo team and many more besides.
Please join us in wishing Luca all the best for a good recovery ❤️https://t.co/Bp94zbuaCEAugust 21, 2021
Sagan said: "Forza Luca! I am sending you my best wishes for an easy and speedy recovery."
O'Grady added: "Luca, You’ve shown strength and support to so many people for many, many years. I’m sure that same strength will help you fight this also. Stay strong. From the O’Grady family and everyone at the Tour Down Under team."
Latvian national champion and Trek rider Skujiņš said: "Luca always encouraged us to keep fighting no matter what. Please send some love his way now!"
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Hi, I'm one of Cycling Weekly's content writers for the web team responsible for writing stories on racing, tech, updating evergreen pages as well as the weekly email newsletter. Proud Yorkshireman from the UK's answer to Flanders, Calderdale, go check out the cobbled climbs!
I started watching cycling back in 2010, before all the hype around London 2012 and Bradley Wiggins at the Tour de France. In fact, it was Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck's battle in the fog up the Tourmalet on stage 17 of the Tour de France.
It took me a few more years to get into the journalism side of things, but I had a good idea I wanted to get into cycling journalism by the end of year nine at school and started doing voluntary work soon after. This got me a chance to go to the London Six Days, Tour de Yorkshire and the Tour of Britain to name a few before eventually joining Eurosport's online team while I was at uni, where I studied journalism. Eurosport gave me the opportunity to work at the world championships in Harrogate back in the awful weather.
After various bar jobs, I managed to get my way into Cycling Weekly in late February of 2020 where I mostly write about racing and everything around that as it's what I specialise in but don't be surprised to see my name on other news stories.
When not writing stories for the site, I don't really switch off my cycling side as I watch every race that is televised as well as being a rider myself and a regular user of the game Pro Cycling Manager. Maybe too regular.
My bike is a well used Specialized Tarmac SL4 when out on my local roads back in West Yorkshire as well as in northern Hampshire with the hills and mountains being my preferred terrain.
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