- Feb 20, 2010
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Volta de Santa Catarina starts in Brazil tomorrow and some interesting figures appearing on the startlist. Most notably the return of Alex Diniz, the partner in crime of Dani Díaz when Funvic went full hilarious in the Tour de San Luís back in the day. Diniz had already been suspended for testing positive for EPO in this very race back in 2009, so after being subjected to the biopassport for the first time in 2016 when Funvic jumped up to ProContinental, when he was busted on biopassport irregularities he copped an eight-year suspension and, already over 30, elected to retire. Except that suspension ran out in March and the 39-year-old Diniz is back, riding for Pindamonhangaba Cycling Club, the same team that used to be sponsored by Funvic...
A few of his old cohorts are back too; Caio Godoy and 42-year-old Roberto Silva are both back from their own suspensions in the late 2010s, while another old Funvic name, albeit without a suspension in his back pocket, Magno Prado Nazaret, is on hand as well, now 39 himself. But the true staying power belongs to Argentina's Matías Medici, making yet another comeback at the age of 50 on AVAI-Florianópolis. He rode for Funvic back in 2011 and it was assumed his career was probably over after he copped a two-year-ban in 2012 when already 37 years of age... but he came back and rode for two and a half more years, before disappearing again for six and a half years (hmm) and reappearing at 48 in 2023.
Plus ça change, as they say...
A few of his old cohorts are back too; Caio Godoy and 42-year-old Roberto Silva are both back from their own suspensions in the late 2010s, while another old Funvic name, albeit without a suspension in his back pocket, Magno Prado Nazaret, is on hand as well, now 39 himself. But the true staying power belongs to Argentina's Matías Medici, making yet another comeback at the age of 50 on AVAI-Florianópolis. He rode for Funvic back in 2011 and it was assumed his career was probably over after he copped a two-year-ban in 2012 when already 37 years of age... but he came back and rode for two and a half more years, before disappearing again for six and a half years (hmm) and reappearing at 48 in 2023.
Plus ça change, as they say...
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