Vittorio Adorni

Vittorio Adorni (14 November 1937 – 24 December 2022) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist.

Early life and amateur career
Adorni was born in San Lazzaro di Parma on 14 November 1937. He was a talented amateur and showed early talent at riding alone. He began racing in 1955 and won the national amateur pursuit championship in 1959. Skill at riding fast alone won him the world professional road championship nine years later.

Adorni won the Trofeo de Gasperiin 1960 and turned professional during 1961 after winning the Coppa San Geo.

Professional career
Adorni won two races in his first full year as a professional in 1961, riding for Philco and winning stages of the Giro d'Italia and the Tour of Sardinia. Adorni was more a domestique than a leader but he nevertheless won the 1965 Giro and the 1968 world road race championship. The championship was on the car race circuit at Imola, Italy. He broke clear with 93 km still to ride. He finished 10 minutes ahead of the field, helped in the peloton by his Italian teammates and also by Eddy Merckx, his normal teammate, who did not take up the chase.

The Cycling Hall of Fame, an American organisation, said: "'In 1968, Adorni taught Eddy Merckx of Belgium how to properly eat and rest during a Grand Tour. Merckx used this knowledge to not only win his first grand tour, the Giro d'Italia, but also the mountains and points jerseys as well, the first time ever this was done in a grand tour. Adorni finished second to Merckx in that race.'"

Retirement
Adorni rode as a professional from 1961 to 1970. He retired to work in insurance and then became directeur sportif of the Salvarani team until 1973. He became president of the Italian riders' association and a commentator for the television company, RAI. In 2001 he joined the management committee of the governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale. The French magazine Vélo said: When he was nominated, no small number of observers asked 'Why him? Isn't he just Hein Verbruggen's puppet?'

The former Italian champion was chosen for his personality [était simplement victime de sa personnalité]. As a rider, he was respected by everyone. He was a gentleman. When Hein Verbruggen dug in, Adorni was a patient mediator, a natural negotiator. Thanks to him, the crisis with the organisers of the three grands tours didn't turn into a huge fiasco and he was able to maintain contacts. The world body was responsible for the Pro Tour; Adorni became its conscience.

Adorni worked in skiing, in public relations for the Winter Olympics at Innsbruck in 1976. He also worked in public relations at the summer Games in Montréal in 1976. From 1996 until 2004 he was President of Panathlon International. In 2000, he was a recipient of the Silver Olympic Order.

Adorni died in Parma on 24 December 2022, at the age of 85.

Major results
Sources:

Track

 * 1958
 * 1st National Track Championship, Individual Pursuit

Road

 * 1960
 * 2nd Giornata della Bicicletta


 * 1961
 * 1st Coppa San Geo
 * 3rd San Daniele Po
 * 10th Giro della Romagna
 * 10th Giro dell'Emilia


 * 1962
 * 1st Stage 4 Giro di Sardegna
 * 2nd Milano–Torino
 * 4th Giro dell'Emilia
 * 5th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stage 15
 * 5th Trofeo Baracchi
 * 6th Grand Prix des Nations
 * 7th Trofeo Matteotti


 * 1963
 * 1st Maggiora
 * 1st Tour des Quatre-Cantons
 * 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stages 1 & 16
 * Held after Stage 18
 * 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 4th Coppa Agostoni
 * 5th Milan–San Remo
 * 7th Trofeo Baracchi
 * 8th Overall Giro di Sardegna
 * 1st Stages 5 & 6
 * 10th Tre Valli Varesine


 * 1964
 * 1st Overall Giro di Sardegna
 * 2nd Silver medal blank.svg Road race, UCI Road World Championships
 * 2nd Trofeo Baracchi
 * 2nd Antwerpen - Ougrée
 * 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 3rd Corsa Coppi
 * 4th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stages 1 & 14
 * 7th Trofeo Laigueglia
 * 7th Coppa Placci
 * 10th Overall Tour de France


 * 1965
 * 1st Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stages 6, 13 & 19
 * 1st Overall Tour de Romandie
 * 1st Stages 1b & 3b
 * 1st Trofeo Città di Borgomanero
 * 1st GP Lugano
 * 2nd Milan–San Remo
 * 2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 5th Milano–Torino
 * 6th Giro di Lombardia
 * 7th Paris–Roubaix
 * 8th Trofeo Laigueglia
 * 8th Corsa Coppi


 * 1966
 * 1st Overall Tour of Belgium
 * 1st Stage 4
 * 1st Stage 1 Giro di Sardegna
 * 3rd Overall Paris–Nice
 * 6th Giro di Toscana
 * 6th Giro dell'Emilia
 * 7th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stage 13
 * Held after Stages 13 & 14
 * 9th Tour of Flanders


 * 1967
 * 1st Overall Tour de Romandie
 * 1st Coppa Bernocchi
 * 2nd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
 * 2nd Giro di Campania
 * 2nd GP Forli
 * 3rd Milano–Torino
 * 4th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stage 20
 * 5th Overall Giro di Sardegna
 * 5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 10th Milano–Vignola


 * 1968
 * 1st Road race UCI Road World Championships
 * 1st Stage 1 Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 3rd GP Forli
 * 5th Overall Vuelta a España
 * 5th Trofeo Laigueglia
 * 8th Overall À travers Lausanne


 * 1969
 * 1st National Road Race Championship
 * 1st Overall Tour de Suisse
 * 1st Stages 5 & 9
 * 1st Stage 22 Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
 * 1st GP Alghero
 * 1st Stage 5b Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 2nd Overall Tour de Romandie
 * 1st Stages 2 & 3b


 * 1970
 * 1st Stage 3 Tour de Romandie
 * 4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 10th Overall Giro d'Italia

Honour

 * 🇮🇹: Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (27 December 2012)