Francesco Moser

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Francesco Moser
Personal information
Nickname Lo sceriffo
Date of birth 19 June 1951 (1951-06-19) (age 56)
Country Flag of Italy Italy
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Road, track
Role Rider
Major wins
Giro d'Italia (1984)
World Road Cycling Champion (1977)
Milan-Sanremo (1984)
Paris-Roubaix (1978, 1979, 1980)
Giro di Lombardia (1975, 1978)
Infobox last updated on:
April 28, 2008
Medal record
Competitor for Flag of Italy Italy
Road bicycle racing
World Championships
Gold 1977 San Christóbal Elite Men's Road Race
Silver 1976 Ostuni Elite Men's Road Race
Silver 1978 Nürburgring Elite Men's Road Race

Francesco Moser (born June 19, 1951 in Palù di Giovo, a province of Trento) nicknamed " Lo sceriffo" (The sheriff) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the dominant riders from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s, and won the 1984 Giro d'Italia, the 1977 World Road Racing Championship title and six victories overall in three of the five great Classics, the so-called 'Monuments', of cycling. He began his professional career in 1973. He had an almost effortless pedal stroke that provided great power. Moser was an intimidating figure on the bicycle, but due to his powerful build, Moser wasn’t a gifted climber.

Contents

[edit] Palmarés

[edit] Classic races

After Moser finished second in 1974 behind Roger De Vlaeminck, and likewise in 1976 behind Marc Demeyer of Belgium, he finally won his favourite race, the very difficult Paris-Roubaix three consecutive times: in 1978, when he preceded De Vlaeminck and Jan Raas of the Netherlands; in 1979, in front of Roger De Vlaeminck and Hennie Kuiper of the Netherlands; and in 1980, in front of Frenchman Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle of France and German Dietrich Thurau. Moser came in third in 1981 behind Bernard Hinault and Roger De Vlaeminck, and was also third in 1983 behind Hennie Kuiper and Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle. His other major Classics victories include the 1975 and 1978 Giro di Lombardia, and the 1984 Milan-Sanremo.

[edit] Other classics

Of lesser classic races, Moser won the 1974 Paris-Tours, the 1977 Züri-Metzgete, the 1979 Gent-Wevelgem, and the 1977 Flèche Wallonne.

[edit] Grand Tours

Apart from the one-day classics, Moser also enjoyed some success in the three-weeks long Grand Tours of cycling. Francesco Moser only rode the Tour de France once, in 1975, but the high mountains didn’t suit his riding style. However, he won the 1984 Giro d'Italia, in front of Laurent Fignon of France and Moreno Argentin of Italy. Taking advantage of an unusually flat course, Moser used his superior time-trialing ability to clinch the overall prize from the better climbers of the peloton. In addition to his overall victory in the Giro, Moser also won the Maglia ciclamino (Points Jersey) of the Italian tour four times; in 1976, 1977, 1978, and 1982.

[edit] Other accomplishments

Francesco Moser won the 1977 World Road Racing Championship in front of Dietrich Thurau of Germany and Moser's countryman Franco Bitossi. Moser was also the silver medallist in 1976, arriving behind Freddy Maertens of Belgium, and again he finished second in 1978 conceding to Gerrie Knetemann of the Netherlands.

Moser's lasting accomplishment was in 1984, when he broke the 1972 Hour record of Eddy Merckx's, after a long, accurate, technical and physical preparation by Moser. The very advanced bike Moser rode looked far more advanced than that which Eddy Merckx used: in 1997 the Union Cycliste Internationale banned all previous records which were set on bikes with technological advantage over those used in 1972. Under the new rules, Merckx's 1972 record wasn't broken until 1993. Moser later auctioned his revolutionary bicycle to benefit UNICEF. In 1999, he admitted having used blood doping to help breaking the record, helped by sports doctor, Francesco Conconi. His doping practices, however, had not been declared illegal at the time. The 1984 record of Moser did, however, stand for more than nine years before it was broken, and Moser's attempt further opened the door to new aerodynamic technology in competitive cycling. Moser retired from the professional ranks in 1987.

[edit] After the cycling career

Francesco Moser has since 1999 been Chairman of the Cyclistes Professionels Associés, CPA, founded 19 May, after the 1999 Giro d'Italia. The CPA is a union for all professional riders of then TT/I and TT/II league of teams (now UCI ProTour and UCI Continental Circuits teams, respectively).

[edit] Career highlights

[edit] See also


Sporting positions
Preceded by
Freddy Maertens		 World Road Racing Champion
1977		 Succeeded by
Gerrie Knetemann
Preceded by
Giuseppe Saronni		 Winner of the Giro d'Italia
1984		 Succeeded by
Bernard Hinault
Preceded by
Roger De Vlaeminck		 Winner of Paris-Roubaix
1978,1979,1980		 Succeeded by
Bernard Hinault
v • d • e
Tour de France Maillot blanc (White jersey) winners


Persondata
NAME Moser, Francesco
ALTERNATIVE NAMES
SHORT DESCRIPTION Cyclist, Giro d'Italia winner, hour record holder
DATE OF BIRTH 1951-06-19
PLACE OF BIRTH Palù di Giovo
DATE OF DEATH
PLACE OF DEATH