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
See also
List of doping cases in cycling
Notes
External links
Palmares
Claudio Chiappucci dans le Tour de France
Italian male cyclists
Doping cases in cycling
Cyclists from the Province of Varese
1963 births
Living people