Filippo Pozzato

Filippo Pozzato
Filippo "Pippo" Pozzato (born 10 September 1981) is an Italian former road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2018 for the and two spells with the / teams.
A northern classics specialist, Pozzato finished in second place at both the 2009 Paris–Roubaix and the 2012 Tour of Flanders. Pozzato finished a total of 37 Monument classics, including a victory in the 2006 Milan–San Remo; he finished second in the race in 2008 as well. Pozzato also won stages at the 2004 Tour de France, the 2007 Tour de France and the 2010 Giro d'Italia, and was the winner of the 2009 Italian National Road Race Championships.
Career
Mapei–Quick-Step
Born in Sandrigo, Veneto, Pozzato turned professional in 2000 with the cycling team, part of the famous classe di '81 a group of emerging young riders born in 1981 who were part of the Mapei TT3 development team. Other alumni include Fabian Cancellara and Bernhard Eisel, Alexandr Kolobnev and Gryschenko.
Fassa Bortolo
After Mapei ended its sponsorship in 2002 Pozzato joined Giancarlo Ferretti's cycling team. Despite his win of Tirreno–Adriatico in 2003 and a stage win in the 2004 Tour de France, personality clashes with Ferretti meant that Pozzato suffered poor years with Fassa Bortolo in 2002–2004. During this period he was injured for some time and had to work for star sprinter Alessandro Petacchi at other times.
During the 2004 season he was chosen to be part of the Italian 2004 Olympics team in support of team leader Paolo Bettini who went on to win the event.
Quick Step–Innergetic
He re-established contact with several managers and directeurs sportif of . The Quick Step-Innergetic team expressed interest and Pozzato was able to obtain a release for the 2005 ProTour season, joining several former Mapei riders already on the team, such as Paolo Bettini and Davide Bramati.
The 2005 ProTour season went better for Pozzato, with a win in the HEW Cyclassics in front of teammate Luca Paolini.
The 2006 season saw him win the first major classic of the year Milan–San Remo after a superb ride which saw him first work for team leader Tom Boonen, but then was forced to launch his own winning attack in the finale.
Liquigas
For the 2007 season, Pozzato joined the Liquigas squad, and began his season in style, winning the Tour du Haut Var, the Omloop Het Volk and Stage 5 of the Tour de France.
Team Katusha
In 2009 he won the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen. His results show experience, comfort, and power on the cobblestones and on the Belgian hills ("hellingen"). In aftermath of his 2nd place in the 2009 Paris–Roubaix, Pozzato claimed that when avoiding a crash of Thor Hushovd he lost 4 or 5 seconds and the chance for victory. He also suggested that Boonen benefited from the slipstream of official motorcycles to augment his lead.
In 2010 he has been accused by several riders, including Bjorn Leukemans, Boonen and Philippe Gilbert for his "negative tactics" during key races. This resulted in the nickname "The Shadow".
Lampre-Merida
In 2013, Pozzato earned his first victory of the year in the Trofeo Laigueglia, held in Liguria, Italy on mainly narrow, twisting and turning roads. His team reeled in the breakaway and controlled the front of the leading group when Mauro Santambrogio attacked with to cover, with Pozzato jumping in his slipstream. The sprint was contested by 4 riders, Pozzato getting the best of them. This marked Pozzato's third win in the event, a record in the race's history. In September, he raced the GP Ouest-France and despite not being a top favourite, he won the race, becoming just the fifth Italian to do that.
Southeast Pro Cycling
In 2016 Pozzato joined the Italian-based Southeast Pro Cycling Team. In December 2018 he announced his retirement from competition.
Doping ban
In 2012, Pozzato was banned from cycling for three months by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) after it was found that he had worked with infamous doctor Michele Ferrari from 2005 to 2008. CONI had looked to ban him for a year but were forced to reduce it to a three months thanks to a technicality.
Major results
1998
UCI Junior Road World Championships
2nd Road race
3rd Time trial
2nd Team pursuit, UCI Junior Track World Championships
1999
3rd Team pursuit, UCI Junior Track World Championships
4th Road race, UCI Junior Road World Championships
2001
9th Trofeo Luis Puig
9th Paris–Bourges
2002
1st Overall Vuelta a Cuba
1st Stage 11a
1st Duo Normand (with Evgeni Petrov)
1st Giro del Lago Maggiore
1st Tour du Lac Léman
Tour de Normandie
1st Prologue, Stages 2, 3 & 5
Tour of Slovenia
1st Stages 4 & 7
Tour de l'Avenir
1st Stages 1 (ITT) & 5
1st Prologue Ytong Bohemia Tour
2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
10th Chrono des Herbiers
2003
1st Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stage 2
1st Trofeo Laigueglia
1st Trofeo Matteotti
1st Giro dell'Etna
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
2nd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
6th Omloop Het Volk
2004
1st Overall Giro della Liguria
1st Trofeo Laigueglia
1st Stage 7 Tour de France
4th Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
2005
1st HEW Cyclassics
1st Giro del Lazio
1st Stage 2 Deutschland Tour
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
4th Overall Ster Elektrotoer
2006
1st Milan–San Remo
3rd Overall Tour of Britain
1st Stage 3
3rd Vattenfall Cyclassics
4th Gent–Wevelgem
5th Omloop Het Volk
6th GP Ouest–France
10th Züri-Metzgete
10th Paris–Tours
2007
1st Omloop Het Volk
1st Tour du Haut Var
1st Trofeo Matteotti
1st Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato
1st Stage 5 Tour de France
1st Stage 6 Tour de Pologne
3rd Trofeo Laigueglia
4th GP Ouest–France
5th Memorial Cimurri
6th Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
2008
1st Overall Giro della Provincia di Grosseto
1st Stage 1
1st Stage 1 (TTT) Vuelta a España
2nd Milan–San Remo
2nd Giro del Lazio
2nd Coppa Sabatini
3rd Road race, National Road Championships
6th Tour of Flanders
7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
7th Trofeo Laigueglia
2009
1st Road race, National Road Championships
1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
1st Giro del Veneto
1st Memorial Cimurri
1st Stage 1 Three Days of De Panne
2nd Paris–Roubaix
2nd Trofeo Laigueglia
4th Paris–Tours
5th Tour of Flanders
5th Clásica de San Sebastián
2010
1st Stage 12 Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 3 (TTT) Vuelta a Burgos
3rd Giro del Piemonte
4th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
4th Montepaschi Strade Bianche
4th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
5th Giro del Friuli
7th Paris–Roubaix
10th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
2011
1st Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
3rd Overall Tour de Picardie
5th Milan–San Remo
2012
1st GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
2nd Tour of Flanders
6th Milan–San Remo
6th Dwars door Vlaanderen
9th Gent–Wevelgem
2013
1st Trofeo Laigueglia
1st Coppa Ugo Agostoni
1st GP Ouest–France
2nd Roma Maxima
3rd Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi
5th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
2014
2nd Coppa Bernocchi
3rd Tre Valli Varesine
2015
10th Overall Dubai Tour
2016
2nd Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
3rd Road race, National Road Championships
4th Dwars door Vlaanderen
5th Coppa Bernocchi
7th Overall Giro di Toscana
8th Milan–San Remo
9th Gran Piemonte
2017
8th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
8th Tour of Flanders
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Monuments results timeline
References
External links
Palmares on Cycling Base
Cyclingnews.com interview, September 2004
1981 births
Living people
Cyclists from the Province of Vicenza
Italian male cyclists
Italian Tour de France stage winners
Doping cases in cycling
Olympic cyclists for Italy
Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Italian Giro d'Italia stage winners
Cyclists at the 2015 European Games
European Games competitors for Italy