# 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.

## Career achievements
### Major results
#### 1982

    1st 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 Mountains classification Giro d'Italia
    1st Stage 4 Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
    2nd Overall Tour de France
       Held 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 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 Points classification
    2nd Overall Vuelta a Murcia
    3rd Overall Tour de France
       1st 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 Overall Giro del Trentino
       1st Stage 3
    1st Giro dell'Appennino
    1st Subida a Urkiola
    2nd Overall Tour de France
       1st Mountains classification
       1st Stage 13
       Combativity award Overall
    2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
       1st 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 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 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 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 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

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 |
| Giro d'Italia | 64 | — | 48 | 24 | 46 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | DNF | — | 60 |
| Tour de France | — | — | — | — | 81 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 6 | DNF | 11 | 37 | — | — |
| Vuelta a España | — | — | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 11 | — |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |