# Rodolfo Massi

Rodolfo Massi (Italian pronunciation:; born 17 September 1965) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. He won a stage in 1996 Giro d'Italia and 1998 Tour de France, but was expelled from the 1998 Tour de France after illegal doping was found in his hotel room. In the 1990 Tour de France, Massi was the Lanterne rouge.

## Biography

As an amateur, Massi won many races, and when he became a professional cyclist in 1987, much was expected from him. In 1988, he broke a leg, and after the operation, one of his legs was a few centimeters shorter than the other. Massi often complained that he was not able to cycle in a regular way, and became a domestique for many different teams.
In 1998, he had his best year. He won the Tour Méditerranéen and the Giro di Calabria. In the Tour de France, he won a mountain stage, and after the 16th stage was in seventh place in the general classification, and leading the mountains classification, when corticoids were found in his hotel room. He was questioned by the police, and was not able to start the next stage. Massi was the first rider in history to be arrested for breaking doping laws. Later, all legal charges against him were dropped, but the Italian Olympic Committee banned him for six months.

## Major results

Source:

### 1987

    9th Giro di Toscana

### 1988

    2nd Trofeo Pantalica
    7th Trofeo Laigueglia

### 1989

    3rd Gran Premio Città di Camaiore

### 1990

    5th Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
    8th Trofeo Laigueglia
    9th Giro dell'Appennino

### 1991

    4th Trofeo Laigueglia

### 1992

    7th Overall Giro del Trentino

### 1993

    10th Giro di Toscana

### 1994

    1st Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
       1st Stage 1
    5th Overall Tour de Suisse
    8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico

### 1995

    3rd Giro del Friuli
    6th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano

### 1996

    1st Stage 10 Giro d'Italia
    2nd Trofeo Laigueglia
    3rd Overall Vuelta a Murcia
    4th Giro dell'Appennino
    6th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
    6th Overall Giro del Trentino
       1st Stage 5
    8th Trofeo Pantalica
    10th Trofeo Melinda

### 1997

    1st Tour du Haut Var
    1st Stage 4 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
    5th Overall Étoile de Bessèges
    6th Trofeo Laigueglia
    9th Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
    10th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
    10th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre
    10th Overall Tour Méditerranéen

### 1998

    1st Overall Tour Méditerranéen
    Tour de France
       1st Stage 10
       Held after Stages 10–17
    1st Stage 2 Critérium International
    3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    3rd Paris–Camembert
    4th Tour du Haut Var
    5th Overall Paris–Nice
    6th Overall Tour of the Basque Country
    7th Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
    10th La Flèche Wallonne

### 2000

    1st Stage 6 Grand Prix du Midi Libre
    3rd Giro di Campania
    8th Tre Valli Varesine

### 2001

    8th Giro della Provincia di Siracusa

### 2002

    7th Gran Premio di Chiasso
    10th Overall Giro Riviera Ligure Ponente

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 |
| / Vuelta a España | — | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | — | — | 20 | DNF | DNF | 34 | — | — | — |
| Giro d'Italia | 24 | — | 85 | 35 | — | 94 | DNF | 37 | 48 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 67 |
| Tour de France | — | — | — | 156 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | — |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |