Guercilena was appointed to the role of team manager after Johan Bruyneel was forced to leave the team due to his involvement with USADA’s case into Lance Armstrong and the US Postal team.
Guercilena had previously been a director sportif at RadioShack but had worked with Cancellara for a number of years. The two were part of Mapei’s set up when Cancellara turned professional, with Guercilena working with the late Aldo Sassi, and the pair worked together again in 2012 at the London Olympics.
Guercilena’s appointment appeared to calm speculation that Cancellara would leave RadioShack, breaking his contract, if Bruyneel remained with the team.
Speaking at last month’s team training camp in Spain, Cancellara talked to Cyclingnews about the effect Guercilena has had on the team. According to the Swiss rider Guercilena has ‘shaken the house’ and given the team a clear direction for 2013. Cyclingnews also understands that Guercilena addressed an audience of team bosses at an AIGCP meeting in October and attempted to distance the team from the previous management.
Get The Leadout Newsletter
The latest race content, interviews, features, reviews and expert buying guides, direct to your inbox!
Daniel Benson was the Editor in Chief at Cyclingnews.com between 2008 and 2022. Based in the UK, he joined the Cyclingnews team in 2008 as the site's first UK-based Managing Editor. In that time, he reported on over a dozen editions of the Tour de France, several World Championships, the Tour Down Under, Spring Classics, and the London 2012 Olympic Games. With the help of the excellent editorial team, he ran the coverage on Cyclingnews and has interviewed leading figures in the sport including UCI Presidents and Tour de France winners.
