Claudio Chiappucci

Claudio Chiappucci (born 28 February 1963 in Uboldo, Varese, Lombardy) is a retired Italian professional cyclist. He was on the podium three times in the Tour de France general classification: second in 1990, third in 1991 and second again in 1992.

Career
After a quiet start to his career he burst onto the scene in the 1990 Tour de France. Chiappucci found himself almost casually wearing the yellow jersey after a stage one attack which the favourites allowed him to arrive with a 10-minute time advantage. In subsequent stages he resisted the return of Greg LeMond, only losing the lead of the race in stage 20, the final time trial. In the end, LeMond won the Tour by 2' 16", Chiappucci came home with a surprising second place and, moreover, the status of a cycling star. He was the first Italian cyclist to arrive on the podium at the Tour since Felice Gimondi in 1972. This first successful campaign highlighted Chiappucci's main weakness, the time trial. Although vowing to return the following year as a better racer against the clock, Chiappucci never was able to master this discipline.

The year of 1991 confirmed to the cycling community that Chiappucci was able to perform consistently. Beginning with a win in the opening classic of the season, the Milan San-Remo, Chiappucci rode the Giro d'Italia and the Tour of France.

However, Chiappucci declined quickly. After riding a solid Giro it looked like his 1993 Tour de France was to be a big showdown with Miguel Induráin. But from the first mountain stage Chiappucci was obviously struggling. Although he had a revival later on in the race, Chiappucci finished sixth overall. He won the Clásica de San Sebastián a few weeks after the Tour de France, but this marked the end of his major results. His level of performance declined sharply from around 1994/1995, and he retired in 1998 after suspicions of doping in 1997.

His most famous victory was stage 13 of the 1992 Tour de France, when he attacked on the first climb of the day, 245 km from the finish, and arrived in Sestriere after holding off a thrilling chase by Miguel Induráin and Gianni Bugno. On that occasion Pascal Lino was holding the yellow jersey, but it was one of the first major mountain stages and was anticipated to lose it to the GC contenders. Induráin, Roche, LeMond, Delgado, Bugno and Induráin were all ahead of Chiappucci who was in 7th overall. Chiappucci risked everything by joining the early breakaway that no other GC riders were willing to enter. He dropped the other breakaway riders before the first summit and rode on a solo attack for 125 kilometers. He was alone on top of all five main climbs, of which 3 were "première catégorie" and 1 "hors catégorie". By end of the stage he had jumped to 2nd place overall about ninety seconds behind Induráin. He had wanted to replicate the same accomplishment as Fausto Coppi exactly 40 years earlier.

Chiappucci rode his last race at the International Criterium of the Valencian Community on 7 November 1999, finishing second behind Abraham Olano.

Among the awards received by Chiappucci is a silver medal earned in 1994 at the World Cycling Championship in Sicily.

Not gifted with an exceptional physique, Chiappucci was distinguished by a gritty, combative style, always ready to attack; he did not hold back in the face of any climb or time trial.

Doping
Claudio Chiappucci used the services of doctor Francesco Conconi, who is accused of applying EPO to cyclists. Conconi was found 'morally guilty', but not convicted, because the statute of limitations had expired. The judge had looked at medical reports of 33 cyclists in the period from 1993 to 1995, including Chiappucci's, and all blood tests showed largely fluctuating hematocrit-values, indicative for EPO-use. In 1997, Claudio Chiappucci told prosecutor Vincenzo Scolastico that he had been using EPO since 1993, but later he retracted that statement.

Major results

 * 1982
 * 1st MaillotItalia.svg Road race, National Amateur Road Championships


 * 1984
 * 2nd Piccolo Giro di Lombardia


 * 1987
 * 1st Stage 3 (TTT) Giro d'Italia
 * 2nd Giro di Toscana
 * 8th Paris–Tours


 * 1988
 * 2nd Trofeo Luis Puig
 * 7th Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
 * 9th Giro di Lombardia


 * 1989
 * 1st Giro del Piemonte
 * 1st Coppa Placci
 * 2nd Overall Giro del Trentino
 * 3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm
 * 6th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 8th La Flèche Wallonne


 * 1990
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Mountains classification Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stage 4 Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
 * 2nd Overall Tour de France
 * Held Jersey yellow.svg after Stages 12–19
 * 2nd Tre Valli Varesine
 * 3rd Züri-Metzgete
 * 3rd Giro del Friuli
 * 4th Wincanton Classic
 * 4th Grand Prix des Amériques
 * 5th Overall Giro del Trentino
 * 6th UCI Road World Cup
 * 7th Overall Paris–Nice
 * 1st Stage 6


 * 1991
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour of the Basque Country
 * 1st Stage 3
 * 1st Milan–San Remo
 * Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
 * 1st Stages 4a & 4b
 * 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey violet.svg Points classification
 * 2nd Overall Vuelta a Murcia
 * 3rd Overall Tour de France
 * 1st Jersey polkadot.svg Mountains classification
 * 1st Stage 13
 * Combativity award Overall
 * 3rd Road race, National Road Championships
 * 3rd La Flèche Wallonne
 * 3rd Giro dell'Appennino
 * 3rd Giro del Friuli
 * 4th Overall Giro del Trentino
 * 4th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 9th Wincanton Classic


 * 1992
 * 1st Jersey violet.svg Overall Giro del Trentino
 * 1st Stage 3
 * 1st Giro dell'Appennino
 * 1st Subida a Urkiola
 * 2nd Overall Tour de France
 * 1st Jersey polkadot.svg Mountains classification
 * 1st Stage 13
 * Combativity award Overall
 * 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Mountains classification
 * 2nd Overall Clásico RCN
 * 1st Stage 1
 * 2nd Giro di Lombardia
 * 2nd Clásica de San Sebastián
 * 2nd Coppa Placci
 * 2nd Rund um den Henninger Turm
 * 4th Wincanton Classic
 * 7th UCI Road World Cup


 * 1993


 * 1st Clásica de San Sebastián
 * 1st Japan Cup
 * 1st Coppa Sabatini
 * 1st Cronoscalata della Futa-Memorial Gastone Nencini
 * 2nd Overall Tour de Romandie
 * 2nd Overall Giro del Trentino
 * 2nd Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
 * 2nd GP du Canton d'Argovie
 * 2nd Subida a Urkiola
 * 2nd Giro del Friuli
 * 3rd Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Mountains classification
 * 1st Stage 14
 * 3rd La Flèche Wallonne
 * 3rd Giro dell'Emilia
 * 3rd Giro del Veneto
 * 4th Giro di Lombardia
 * 4th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 5th Overall Volta a Catalunya
 * 5th UCI Road World Cup
 * 6th Overall Tour de France
 * 1st Stage 17
 * 6th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 7th Züri-Metzgete
 * 10th Overall Tour of the Basque Country


 * 1994
 * 1st MaillotVolta.png Overall Volta a Catalunya
 * 1st Stage 4
 * 1st Tre Valli Varesine
 * 1st Japan Cup
 * 2nd Overall Tour of Galicia
 * 1st Stage 3
 * 2nd Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
 * 2nd Silver medal blank.svg Road race, UCI Road World Championships
 * 2nd Giro di Lombardia
 * 2nd Subida a Urkiola
 * 2nd Giro dell'Appennino
 * 3rd Overall Tour of the Basque Country
 * 4th UCI Road World Cup
 * 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 4th Züri-Metzgete
 * 5th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 5th Overall Critérium International
 * 7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 7th Amstel Gold Race
 * 7th La Flèche Wallonne
 * 8th Giro dell'Emilia
 * 8th Coppa Bernocchi
 * 9th Overall Giro del Trentino


 * 1995
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
 * 1st Stage 1a
 * 1st Giro del Piemonte
 * 1st Japan Cup
 * 1st Cronoscalata della Futa-Memorial Gastone Nencini
 * 3rd Subida a Urkiola
 * 4th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 4th Tour of Flanders
 * 6th Giro di Lombardia
 * 7th Overall Tour de Romandie
 * 7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 8th Overall Vuelta a Murcia
 * 8th Milan–San Remo
 * 9th GP Ouest–France


 * 1996
 * 3rd GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
 * 3rd Coppa Sabatini
 * 3rd Grand Prix de Fourmies
 * 10th GP Ouest–France


 * 1997
 * 2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna
 * 2nd Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
 * 6th Tour of Flanders
 * 9th GP Ouest–France
 * 10th Rund um den Henninger Turm


 * 1998
 * 8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 10th Coppa Placci