Claudio Chiappucci

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**Claudio Chiappucci**
Personal information

Full name	Claudio Chiappucci
Nickname	El Diablo
Date of birth	February 28, 1963 (1963-02-28) (age 45)
Country	Italy
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Professional team(s)
1985–1996 1997 1998–1999	Carrera Asics Amica Chips
Major wins
Tour de France, 3 stage wins, KoM 1991, 1992 Giro d'Italia, KoM 1990, 1993 Points Competition 1991, 1 stage win Milan San Remo (1991) Classica San Sebastian (1993)
Infobox last updated on:
February 9, 2007

Medal record
Competitor for Italy
Road bicycle racing
World Championships
Silver	1994 Agrigento	Elite Men's Road Race

Claudio Chiappucci (born 28 February 1963) is an Italian former professional cyclist. He was three times on the podium of the Tour de France general classification - 2nd in 1990, 3rd in 1991 and 2nd again in 1992. His name is linked to doping doctor Conconi. In the case against Conconi, it has been proven that Chiappucci used drugs until 1995.^[1] In 1997 Chiappucci admitted having used doping since 1993, but later retracted that statement.

1 Career notes
2 Doping notes
3 Major results
4 External links
5 Notes

[edit] Career notes

Born in Uboldo, in the province of Varese (Lombardy), Chiappucci was nicknamed El Diablo, becoming a very popular rider for some of his audacious rides in both grand tours and one day classic races.

His first famous Tour de France was in 1990, when he found himself almost casually wearing the Yellow jersey after a stage one attack which the favourites allowed to arrive with a 10 minute time advantage. Chiappucci, however, showed to be far stronger than his fellow attackers, and in the subsequent stages he resisted bravely 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' 16s: Chiappucci came back home with a surprising second place and, moreover, the status as a cycling star that he was to confirm in the following years. He was the first Italian cyclist to arrive on podium at the Tour since Felice Gimondi in 1972.

His level of performance declined sharply from around 1994/1995, and he retired in 1998 after having been found guilty of doping several times in 1997.

His most famous stage win was stage 13 of the 1992 Tour de France, when he attacked on the first climb of the day, arriving in Sestriere after holding off a thrilling chase by Miguel Indurain and Gianni Bugno.

In his career he had to face another great champion, Miguel Indurain, who declared: "my victories not would have been so beautiful, if I had not had an adversary like Chiappucci".

Among the awards received by Chiappucci there is also 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.

He is considered one of the athletes who most contributed to the growth, as a cyclist, of Marco Pantani.

[edit] Doping notes

Claudio Chiappucci used the practice of doctor Conconi^[2], who is accused of applying EPO to cyclists.^[3]^[4] Conconi was found 'morally guilty', but not acquitted, because the crime had aged.^[5] The judge had looked at medical reports of 33 cyclists in the period 1993-1995, including Chiappucci's, and all blood tests showed largely fluctuating hematocrit-values, indicative for EPO-use.^[6] In 1997, Claudio Chiappucci told prosecutor Vincenzo Scolastico that he had been using epo since 1993, but later he recalled that statement.^[1]