Dario Cioni
Encyclopedia
Dario David Cioni is an English-born
Italian
professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour
team .
at the age of 19. He found success early with victory in the Italian Winter Championship and second place at both the Italian Cup and Italian Championships. Selected to represent Italy at the World Championships, Cioni finished tenth. He continued with similar results through his mountain bike career, with several top five placings at World Cup events including second at St. Wendel in 1996. Cioni also rode some Cyclo-cross
towards the end of the nineties.
, alongside, amongst others, Filippo Pozzato
, Fabian Cancellara
, Michael Rogers and Charlie Wegelius
. His intention was to use the training on the road to help his mountain bike career with the specific aim of riding for Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics
. However, he was not selected for the Olympics and it was at this point that Cioni decided to concentrate on road racing. In his first season, Cioni won a stage of the Tour of Slovenia
and was second in a stage of the Tour de Normandie
. He also rode his first Vuelta a España
. In 2001, Cioni won his first stage race, the Vuelta Minho in Portugal. Cioni moved to Fassa Bortolo in 2003, where he was used as a domestique for Alessandro Petacchi
. Whilst Petacchi flourished that season, Cioni had no notable results.
It was in 2004 that Cioni made his breakthrough in sustaining his abilities in time trialing
and climbing through important stage races. After a promising Tour de Romandie
, where he finished fifth overall, Cioni finished fourth in the Giro d'Italia
and followed this up with third place in the Tour de Suisse
. Cioni was subsequently chosen to represent Italy at the World Cycling Championships, however, was not allowed to complete when he registered a hematocrit level over 50%. Although Cioni was aware his hematocrit level was naturally high, he had failed to get an exemption and personal level from the Italian federation in 1999, since his level was not consistently higher than 50%, but consistently around it. The UCI awarded Cioni an exemption certificate, with a personal level, after further tests in October 2004. In 2005, Cioni moved to the newly formed Liquigas-Bianchi team where, despite being one of the team's leaders and hence liberated from the role of domestique, he had no notable successes. The best that Cioni achieved at Liquigas was a second place in stage four in the 2005 Giro d'Italia
, third place at the 2005 Italian National time trial championships and sixth place overall at the 2006 Tour de Romandie
. In 2007, Cioni moved to the Belgian
ProTour team Predictor-Lotto. His first victory with this team came when he bagged the first stage of that year's Vuelta a Andalucía
, outsprinting his breakaway companion Antón Luengo.
, Tuscany
, with his wife. In 2004, Cioni graduated from the European School of Economics
with an honours degree in International Business with specialisation in Sports Management.
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2011
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...
team .
Mountain bike career
Cioni began his career as a professional mountain bike racerMountain bike racing
The Union Cycliste Internationale recognised the sport of mountain bike racing relatively late in 1990, when it sanctioned the world championships in Purgatory, Colorado. The first mountain biking world cup series took place in 1991. Its nine-race circuit covered two continents—Europe and North...
at the age of 19. He found success early with victory in the Italian Winter Championship and second place at both the Italian Cup and Italian Championships. Selected to represent Italy at the World Championships, Cioni finished tenth. He continued with similar results through his mountain bike career, with several top five placings at World Cup events including second at St. Wendel in 1996. Cioni also rode some Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross
Cyclo-cross is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter , and consists of many laps of a short course featuring pavement, wooded trails, grass, steep hills and...
towards the end of the nineties.
Road racing career
In 2000, Cioni was selected for the Mapei-Quick Step Pro Development TeamMapei
MAPEI is an Italian company founded in 1937 by Rodolfo Squinzi in Milan, Italy. It evolved from a small wall paint producer into a worldwide producer of adhesives, thinsets and sealants for buildings ....
, alongside, amongst others, Filippo Pozzato
Filippo Pozzato
Filippo "Pippo" Pozzato is an Italian road racing cyclist with UCI ProTour Team Katusha.-Career:...
, Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist...
, Michael Rogers and Charlie Wegelius
Charlie Wegelius
Charles "Charlie" Wegelius is an English former professional road racing cyclist.Never a winner of an individual race, Wegelius nevertheless made a career out of being a reliable and strong domestique, most notably in the mountains.-Early career:Wegelius' cycling aspirations suffered an early...
. His intention was to use the training on the road to help his mountain bike career with the specific aim of riding for Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
. However, he was not selected for the Olympics and it was at this point that Cioni decided to concentrate on road racing. In his first season, Cioni won a stage of the Tour of Slovenia
Tour of Slovenia
Tour of Slovenia is a stage race cycling race held in Slovenia. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 race on the UCI Europe Tour.- Winners :...
and was second in a stage of the Tour de Normandie
Tour de Normandie
Tour de Normandie is a road bicycle race held annually in the region of Normandie, France. The race started in 1939, but was not held in the periods of 1940-1955 and 1960-1980. It was originally a race for amateurs, but was opened for professionals in 1996...
. He also rode his first Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
. In 2001, Cioni won his first stage race, the Vuelta Minho in Portugal. Cioni moved to Fassa Bortolo in 2003, where he was used as a domestique for Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi
Alessandro Petacchi is an Italian professional road racing cyclist for .A specialist sprinter, Petacchi has won 51 grand tour stages with wins of the points jersey in the Giro d'Italia in 2004, the Vuelta a España in 2005 and the Tour de France in 2010.In 2007 Alessandro was banned from cycling...
. Whilst Petacchi flourished that season, Cioni had no notable results.
It was in 2004 that Cioni made his breakthrough in sustaining his abilities in time trialing
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
and climbing through important stage races. After a promising Tour de Romandie
Tour de Romandie
The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
, where he finished fifth overall, Cioni finished fourth in the Giro d'Italia
2004 Giro d'Italia
The 2004 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 87th running of the race, was held from 8 May to 30 May 2004, consisting of 21 stages for a total of 3,420 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.565 km/h. It was won by Damiano Cunego...
and followed this up with third place in the Tour de Suisse
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
. Cioni was subsequently chosen to represent Italy at the World Cycling Championships, however, was not allowed to complete when he registered a hematocrit level over 50%. Although Cioni was aware his hematocrit level was naturally high, he had failed to get an exemption and personal level from the Italian federation in 1999, since his level was not consistently higher than 50%, but consistently around it. The UCI awarded Cioni an exemption certificate, with a personal level, after further tests in October 2004. In 2005, Cioni moved to the newly formed Liquigas-Bianchi team where, despite being one of the team's leaders and hence liberated from the role of domestique, he had no notable successes. The best that Cioni achieved at Liquigas was a second place in stage four in the 2005 Giro d'Italia
2005 Giro d'Italia
The 2005 Giro d'Italia, the 88th running of the race, was held from 7 May to 29 May 2005, consisting of 21 stages for a total of 3,417 km, ridden at an average speed of 37,375 km/h...
, third place at the 2005 Italian National time trial championships and sixth place overall at the 2006 Tour de Romandie
Tour de Romandie 2006
The 60th Tour de Romandie took place from April 25 through April 30. It is a six-stage cycling tour. It was won by Australian climber Cadel Evans of the who surprisingly won the final time trial stage and won the Overall Classification despite starting the time trial in the third overall...
. In 2007, Cioni moved to the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
ProTour team Predictor-Lotto. His first victory with this team came when he bagged the first stage of that year's Vuelta a Andalucía
Vuelta a Andalucía
The Vuelta a Andalucía or Ruta del Sol is a regional Spanish road bicycle race. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour....
, outsprinting his breakaway companion Antón Luengo.
Personal life
He currently lives in Montelupo FiorentinoMontelupo Fiorentino
Montelupo Fiorentino is a comune in the Province of Florence in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 20 km southwest of Florence...
, Tuscany
Tuscany
Tuscany is a region in Italy. It has an area of about 23,000 square kilometres and a population of about 3.75 million inhabitants. The regional capital is Florence ....
, with his wife. In 2004, Cioni graduated from the European School of Economics
European School of Economics
The European School of Economics is an international business school that offers bachelor, master, MBA and certificate programmes at its campuses in London, New York, Milan, Rome, Florence and Madrid....
with an honours degree in International Business with specialisation in Sports Management.
Palmarès
2004- 1st
National Time Trial Champion - 3rd Overall Tour de SuisseTour de SuisseThe Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
- 4th Overall Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
- 5th Overall Tour de RomandieTour de RomandieThe Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
2005
- 13th Overall Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
2006
- 6th Overall Tour de RomandieTour de RomandieThe Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
2007
- 1st Stage 1 part b TTT Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a AndalucíaVuelta a AndalucíaThe Vuelta a Andalucía or Ruta del Sol is a regional Spanish road bicycle race. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour....
- 1st Stage 1
2008
- 2nd Firenze Pistoia
2009
- 1st Stage 1 part b TTT Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale Coppi-Bartali
- 3rd Firenze Pistoia
- 4th Overall Tour of SloveniaTour of SloveniaTour of Slovenia is a stage race cycling race held in Slovenia. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 race on the UCI Europe Tour.- Winners :...
- 4th Overall Vuelta Chihuahua International
2011
- 7th Overall, Vuelta a Castilla y LeónVuelta a Castilla y LeónThe Vuelta Ciclista a Castilla y León is a professional road bicycle stage race held in Castile and León, Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Castilla y León has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Past winners:-External links:*...