Mario Cipollini facts for kids

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Mario Cipollini

Cipollini at the 1993 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	Mario Cipollini
Nickname	Lion King, Super Mario, Cipo, Mooie Mario (Pretty Mario), Mousselini
Born	(1967-03-22) 22 March 1967 (age 57) Lucca, Italy
Height	1.89 m (6 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Weight	76 kg (168 lb; 12 st 0 lb)
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 12 individual stages (1993, 1995–1999) 1 TTT stage (1993) Giro d'Italia Points classification (1992, 1997, 2002) 42 individual stages (1989–1992, 1995–2003) Vuelta a España 3 individual stages (2002) One-day races and Classics World Road Race Championships (2002) National Road Race Championships (1996) Milan–San Remo (2002) Gent–Wevelgem (1992, 1993, 2002) E3 Prijs Vlaanderen (1993) Scheldeprijs (1991, 1993)

Mario Cipollini (Italian pronunciation: [ˈmaːrjo tʃipolˈliːni]; born 22 March 1967), often abbreviated to "Cipo", is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance (his first pro win came in 1988, his last in 2005; 170 professional wins, 192 including criteriums), and his colourful personality. His nicknames include Il Re Leone (The Lion King) and Super Mario. He is regarded as having been the best sprinter of his generation.

His career highlights include the Road World Championships and Milan–San Remo in 2002, and 42 stages in the Giro d'Italia. He also won 12 stages in the Tour de France and three stages in the Vuelta a España.

Career

Cipollini (center) climbing during the 1991 Giro d'Italia

Cipollini was born in San Giusto di Compito, surrounded by the mountains of Capannori south of Lucca, Tuscany. He came from a cycling family – his father, Vivaldo, had been a successful amateur racer in his youth, whilst his brother Cesare had raced as a professional and his sister Tiziana had also competed as a cyclist. Mario was a prolific winner in his youth career, scoring a total of 125 victories in age group and amateur races before joining the professional peloton in 1989.

Cipollini at the 1997 Paris-Nice

In the 1999 Tour de France, he led the peloton on the fastest stage in the history of the Tour, averaging more than 50 km/h over 194.5 km. In the same Tour, he won 4 stages in a row, setting the post-World War II record for consecutive stage wins. He has also found success in Belgium, winning Gent–Wevelgem in 1992, 1993 and 2002 (record).

At the peak of his career, Cipollini's speed was unrivaled, and he is credited with being the first rider with a sprint train. The red jerseys of his Saeco team, featuring team-mates such as Paolo Fornaciari, Giuseppe Calcaterra, Gian Matteo Fagnini and Mario Scirea, were commonly seen at the front of the peloton toward the end of the flat Grand Tour stages in the late 1990s. The train kept the pace high in the closing kilometers, to dissuade opposing riders from attacking and to ensure that in the final 200–300 meters, Cipollini was the only cyclist able to maintain the speed. This changed the way teams approached mass sprints and bred a new generation of sprinters, such as fellow Italian Alessandro Petacchi.

The beginning of 2002 saw Cipollini win Milan–San Remo with his new Acqua-Sapone team, and later Gent–Wevelgem. However, a falling-out with the organizers of the Tour de France made him announce his retirement. Italian national coach Franco Ballerini convinced him to return to competition, and built the Italian national team around Cipollini for the 2002 UCI Road World Championships. Cipollini won the rainbow jersey in a sprint finish in Zolder, Belgium.

In the 2003 Giro d'Italia, Cipollini focused on Alfredo Binda's record 41 Giro stage wins while in the world champion's jersey. His attempt was almost derailed by Alessandro Petacchi of the Fassa Bortolo team. After many failed attempts, he finally broke the record, although he had to abandon the next stage due to injuries in a crash on a rain-soaked finish. He said that the crash ended his career. His team, Domina Vacanze-Elitron, was left out of the Tour de France that year, prompting a comment from Cipollini that the organisers disrespected the rainbow jersey.

Cipollini climbing during the 2004 Tour de Georgia

When he retired from the 2004 Giro due to another crash, it was the only time he entered the Giro without winning a single stage.

In 2008, he returned to competitive cycling with the Rock Racing team at the Tour of California.

Retirement

After having vowed to retire several times in his career, usually in a public fit of pique, Cipollini finally made good on his promise on 26 April 2005, one week before the start of the 2005 Giro. His swan song was to participate in a ceremonial prologue of the Giro wearing a fluorescent pink skin suit, which listed his 42-stage wins.

Cipollini emerged from retirement in early 2008, with Rock Racing. His first race back was the 2008 Tour of California, and he finished third on stage 2. On the eve of the Milan–San Remo, he announced that he would retire again, citing disagreements over his leadership role on Rock Racing.

Personal life

Cipollini's powerful performances sometimes risked being eclipsed by his flamboyant manner and lifestyle. His height, looks and mane of hair earned him the nickname "Lion King", and he adopted other names, including "Super Mario" and "Mario the Magnificent." His wardrobe consisted of hundreds of suits, ties and shoes, many of which he never wore. In 2002, he was arrested for motorpacing on an Italian autostrada. He commented that it was the only place where he could safely get up to top speed for training. He responded to criticisms by claiming that he helped generate coverage for his sponsors, and that it was all part of his showmanship.

Cipollini married Sabrina Landucci in 1993. The couple separated in 2005. .....

Daniel Coyle's book Lance Armstrong's War says Cipollini's profile was little more than a decoy. The intent was that competitors would find themselves distracted by the constant media coverage of Cipollini, and demoralised by the impression that he could party all night and beat them the next morning.

Despite this boisterous public image, Cipollini could often be quite humble regarding his fellow cyclists. After breaking Alfredo Binda's record for Giro stage wins he remarked he would have been happy "just to polish [Binda's] shoes." Reacting to the 2004 death of Marco Pantani, Cipollini said, "I am devastated. It's a tragedy of enormous proportions for everyone involved in cycling. I'm lost for words."

In 2010 Cipollini started his own brand of bicycles which were used by the Italian ISD–NERI team.

Major results

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004
Giro d'Italia	DNF	142	124	126	—	—	DNF	DNF	89	DNF	DNF	DNF	107	100	DNF	DNF
Tour de France	—	—	—	DNF	DNF	—	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	DNF	—	—	—	—	DNF
/ Vuelta a España	—	—	—	—	—	DNF	—	—	DNF	—	—	DNF	—	—	DNF	—

Classics results timeline

See also

In Spanish: Mario Cipollini para niños