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Former Giro Boss Michele Acquarone on the Future of Cycling

….. As a former insider and leader of pro cycling completely divorced from the sport, Acquarone is a passionate observer now free to speak his mind ….. Michele Acquarone was a well-known name in this sport seven years ago, though now his name is unfamiliar to most people. Named in 2011 to head the Giro d’Italia, the world’s second largest bike race, at age 36, Acquarone quickly made a name for himself, primarily through new and radical ideas about better ways to promote and market the sport. He was recently described by Jonathan Vaughters in his book One Way Ticket as “a visionary soul.” Falsely charged with misdirecting RCS corporate funds in late 2013, Acquarone was fired, and endured six years of suspicion, economic and personal hardship before his name was finally cleared by the sluggish Italian court system just two months ago. Acquarone laments his departure from the cycling...

Former Giro Director Michele Acquarone Finally Cleared of All Charges

Word came today from an Italian court in Milan that, after more than six years of false accusations, investigations and legal wrangling, former Giro d’Italia chief Michele Acquarone has been cleared of the fraud and embezzlement charges that were levied against him by his former employer in late 2013. According to reports in the Italian media earlier today, Acquarone and six other former officials of RCS Sport, the parent company of the Giro, including Acquarone’s former colleague Giacomo Catano, have been acquitted of all charges. Acquarone has protested his innocence for years, and has been fighting the slow-moving and bureaucratic Italian justice system to clear his name ever since he was sacked in late 2013. Not only did he lose his job at the Giro, where he widely considered to be a rising star, the allegations made it almost impossible for him to find employment elsewhere....

Cycling in the Balance: A Talk with Michele Acquarone

(Note:  Michele Acquarone directed the Giro d’Italia for Italian sports company RCS Sport until he was unceremoniously dismissed December 3, as a result of the on-going financial investigations at RCS.  Acquarone has vigorously and consistently maintained that he had no knowledge of the financial irregularities; he hopes to stay in pro cycling, in some capacity, and have an important impact on its future.  Steve Maxwell caught up with Acquarone in mid-December and talked about new business models for cycling, and the detailed economic and structural recommendations in the Roadmap to Repair Pro Cycling report. Regardless of Acquarone’s future role in pro cycling, there is no doubt that he brings a business-like, energetic and innovative voice to the sport.) Former Giro d’Italia boss Michele Acquarone looks at cycling from a businessman’s perspective.   Unburdened by a long history in...