Leonardo Piepoli
Encyclopedia
Leonardo Piepoli in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
) is an 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 racing cyclist. He most recently rode for on the 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...
, but had his contract suspended in July 2008 during the Tour de France amid allegations of the use of the blood boosting drug EPO in the team.
Career
He is a record four-time winner (1995, 1999, 2003, 2004) of the Subida a UrkiolaSubida a Urkiola
Subida a Urkiola is a one-day cycling race in Durango, Biscay of the Basque Country. The first edition began in 1931 and is organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Bilbaina, but has not been held consistently until 1984 to present. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe...
. Piepoli is a specialist climber, and this was shown in the 2006 Giro d'Italia
2006 Giro d'Italia
The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It was held from 6 May to 28 May 2006, and covered , beginning in the Belgian mining town of Seraing and ending in Milan...
, where he was one of the strongest riders in the mountains and won two stages. Leonardo became the 2007 Giro d'Italia
2007 Giro d'Italia
The 2007 Giro d'Italia was the 90th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place from 12 May to 3 June 2007. The race began in Sardinia and finished in Milan, and featured five mountain top finishes, of which one was an individual time trial...
Mountains classification winner. He has won stages in the Giro, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España
2007 Vuelta a España
The 2007 Vuelta a España, the sixty-second edition of the cycle race, took place from September 1 until September 23, 2007. For the first time in a decade, the race started in the region of Galicia, at Vigo, home to Óscar Pereiro, with a flat stage...
. He also made himself famous by 'gifting' two stage victories to his team-mates Gilberto Simoni
Gilberto Simoni
Gilberto Simoni is an Italian ex-professional road bicycle racer, most recently for . Simoni is twice winner of the Giro d'Italia cycling race...
and Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended...
. During the Vuelta, Piepoli reached the King of Mountains Classification top position, but was forced to leave the race, citing 'family problems'
During the 2008 Giro d'Italia Piepoli crashed two times, leaving the race with three broken ribs and with his left hand fractured in two places.
In the 2008 Tour de France, Piepoli won the 10th stage, a mountain stage that climbed the legendary Hautacam
Hautacam
Hautacam is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Midi-Pyrénées region. The winter sports station lies at a height of 1560 meters...
, and also helped his team-mate Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended...
win two stages. Before the twelfth stage, Piepoli and the rest of his team stepped out of the race, after Riccò had tested positive for doping.
Doping allegations
Piepoli was fired from Saunier Duval on July 18, 2008, for what his team called "violation of the team's ethical code." The Spanish newspaper El Pais reported that Piepoli had confessed to EPO usage, using the same third generation form (CERA) for which his teammate Riccardo Riccò tested positive, but he denied this at the Italian National Olympic Committee's investigation into Riccò's case. On October 6, 2008, it was announced that two of Piepoli's samples from the Tour de France had also tested positive for CERA EPO. In a January 7, 2009 interview with the ItalianItaly
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...
newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Piepoli acknowledged that he had used CERA in "a moment of weakness". In January 2009, he was suspended from the sport for two years.
Palmares
1995- Subida a UrkiolaSubida a UrkiolaSubida a Urkiola is a one-day cycling race in Durango, Biscay of the Basque Country. The first edition began in 1931 and is organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Bilbaina, but has not been held consistently until 1984 to present. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe...
- King of Mountains Classification, 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...
1996
- 17th overall, Tour de France1996 Tour de FranceThe 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day ....
1998
- 1st, stage 4 Vuelta a BurgosVuelta a BurgosVuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite men's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarés:...
1999 –
- 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:*...
- 1st stage 2 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:*...
- 1st stage 2 Vuelta a Castilla y León
- Subida a UrkiolaSubida a UrkiolaSubida a Urkiola is a one-day cycling race in Durango, Biscay of the Basque Country. The first edition began in 1931 and is organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Bilbaina, but has not been held consistently until 1984 to present. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe...
- 1st, stage 4 Vuelta a BurgosVuelta a BurgosVuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite men's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarés:...
2000 – Banesto
- Vuelta a AragónVuelta a AragónVuelta a Aragón is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in April each year. The event was first run in 1939 but has not been held consistently, being cancelled in 2006 and 2007...
- Vuelta a BurgosVuelta a BurgosVuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite men's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarés:...
- Mountain Classification Vuelta a BurgosVuelta a BurgosVuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite men's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarés:...
- Mountain Classification Vuelta a Burgos
- 2nd, Subida a UrkiolaSubida a UrkiolaSubida a Urkiola is a one-day cycling race in Durango, Biscay of the Basque Country. The first edition began in 1931 and is organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Bilbaina, but has not been held consistently until 1984 to present. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe...
- 10th overall, Giro d'Italia2000 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2000 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 83rd running of the race, was held from 13 May to 4 June 2000. It consisted of a prologue plus 21 stages, for a total of 3,676 km, ridden at an average speed of 37.684 km/h...
2002 – Banesto
- Vuelta a AragónVuelta a AragónVuelta a Aragón is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in April each year. The event was first run in 1939 but has not been held consistently, being cancelled in 2006 and 2007...
overall and stage 1 - Vuelta Asturias overall and stage 4
2003 – Banesto
- Subida a UrkiolaSubida a UrkiolaSubida a Urkiola is a one-day cycling race in Durango, Biscay of the Basque Country. The first edition began in 1931 and is organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Bilbaina, but has not been held consistently until 1984 to present. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe...
- Vuelta a AragónVuelta a AragónVuelta a Aragón is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in April each year. The event was first run in 1939 but has not been held consistently, being cancelled in 2006 and 2007...
and stage 1 - Subida al NarancoSubida al NarancoSubida al Naranco is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in early June each year. The event was first run in 1941 but was not held consistently until 1981. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
2004 –
- 1st, Subida a UrkiolaSubida a UrkiolaSubida a Urkiola is a one-day cycling race in Durango, Biscay of the Basque Country. The first edition began in 1931 and is organized by the Sociedad Ciclista Bilbaina, but has not been held consistently until 1984 to present. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe...
- 1st, Stage 9 – Vuelta a España
- 3rd Vuelta a AragónVuelta a AragónVuelta a Aragón is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in April each year. The event was first run in 1939 but has not been held consistently, being cancelled in 2006 and 2007...
- 3rd Vuelta a Romandia
- 3rd Subida al NarancoSubida al NarancoSubida al Naranco is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in early June each year. The event was first run in 1941 but was not held consistently until 1981. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
- 3rd Vuelta a BurgosVuelta a BurgosVuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite men's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarés:...
2005 – Saunier Duval-Prodir
- 1st, Stage 4 – Volta a CatalunyaVolta a Catalunya 2005The 85th edition of the Volta a Catalunya cycling race took place from May 16 to May 22, 2005, in Catalonia. It began in Salou with an individual time trial and ended in Barcelona. Yaroslav Popovych won the first major win of his career....
- 2nd overall, Volta a CatalunyaVolta a Catalunya 2005The 85th edition of the Volta a Catalunya cycling race took place from May 16 to May 22, 2005, in Catalonia. It began in Salou with an individual time trial and ended in Barcelona. Yaroslav Popovych won the first major win of his career....
- 10th overall, Tour de Suisse
- 23rd overall, Tour de France2005 Tour de FranceThe 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was...
2006 – Saunier Duval-Prodir
- 11th overall, Giro d'Italia2006 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It was held from 6 May to 28 May 2006, and covered , beginning in the Belgian mining town of Seraing and ending in Milan...
- 1st, Stage 13
- 1st, Stage 17
- 8th overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 13th overall, 2006 Vuelta a España
2007 – Saunier Duval-Prodir
- 14th overall Giro d'Italia2007 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2007 Giro d'Italia was the 90th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place from 12 May to 3 June 2007. The race began in Sardinia and finished in Milan, and featured five mountain top finishes, of which one was an individual time trial...
Mountains classification winner- 1st, Stage 10
- 2nd, Stage 13
- 2nd, Stage 15
- 2nd, Stage 17
- 11th overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré2007 Critérium du Dauphiné LibéréThe 59th edition of the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré took place from June 10 to June 17, 2007. It consists of a Prologue and seven stages, of which one is time trial, covering a total of about 1140 km, starting in Grenoble and finishing in Annecy....
- 17th overall, 2007 Tour de Romandie2007 Tour de RomandieThe 2007 Tour de Romandie served as the 59th edition of this event now held on the 2007 UCI ProTour. The stage race was held from May 1 through May 6, 2007 in the French speaking area of Switzerland known as Romandy...
- 1st, Stage 9, Vuelta a España2007 Vuelta a EspañaThe 2007 Vuelta a España, the sixty-second edition of the cycle race, took place from September 1 until September 23, 2007. For the first time in a decade, the race started in the region of Galicia, at Vigo, home to Óscar Pereiro, with a flat stage...
- 2nd, Stage 4, Vuelta a España
2008 – Saunier Duval-Scott
- 1st, Stage 10 Tour de France2008 Tour de FranceThe 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage...
Grand Tour General Classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia The 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... |
WD 1995 Giro d'Italia The 1995 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 78th edition of the race, was held from 13 May to 4 June 1995, consisting of 22 stages. It covered a total of 3,736 km, completed at an average speed of 38,26 km/h... |
38 1996 Giro d'Italia The 1996 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 79th edition of the Corsa Rosa, was held from 18 May to 9 June 1996. It covered a total of 3,990 km, in 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 37.877 km/h... |
WD 1997 Giro d'Italia The 1997 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 80th running of the race, was held from 17 May to 8 June 1997. It covered a total of 3,912 km, in 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 38.017 km/h. It was won by the Italian Ivan Gotti.- General classification :... |
16 1998 Giro d'Italia The 1998 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 81st running of the race, was held from 16 May to 7 June 1998. It covered , in 22 stages, and it was won by Marco Pantani.... |
WD 1999 Giro d'Italia The 1999 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 82nd edition of the race, was held from 15 May to 6 June 1999. It covered in 22 stages. It was won by the Italian Ivan Gotti.... |
10 2000 Giro d'Italia The 2000 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 83rd running of the race, was held from 13 May to 4 June 2000. It consisted of a prologue plus 21 stages, for a total of 3,676 km, ridden at an average speed of 37.684 km/h... |
WD 2001 Giro d'Italia The 2001 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 84th running of the race, was held from 19 May to 10 June 2001. It consisted of a prologue plus 21 stages with one rest days, for a total of 3,356 km, ridden at an average speed of 40.170 km/h. It was won by Gilberto Simoni.- Stages :-Jersey Progress:- General... |
- | - | - | - | 11 2006 Giro d'Italia The 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It was held from 6 May to 28 May 2006, and covered , beginning in the Belgian mining town of Seraing and ending in Milan... |
14 2007 Giro d'Italia The 2007 Giro d'Italia was the 90th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place from 12 May to 3 June 2007. The race began in Sardinia and finished in Milan, and featured five mountain top finishes, of which one was an individual time trial... |
WD 2008 Giro d'Italia The 2008 Giro d'Italia was the 91st running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It began in Palermo on 10 May and ended in Milan on 1 June. Twenty-two teams entered the race, which was won by Spaniard Alberto Contador of the cycling team... |
 Tour de France The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The... |
- | 17 1996 Tour de France The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day .... |
- | 14 1998 Tour de France The 1998 Tour de France, also called the Tour du Dopage , was marred by doping scandals throughout known as the Festina affair, starting with the arrest of Willy Voet, a soigneur in the French Festina team. Voet was traveling into France when he was arrested and found with large quantities of... |
- | WD 2000 Tour de France The 2000 Tour de France was the 87th Tour de France, and took place from July 1 to July 23, 2000. It was won by American cyclist Lance Armstrong. The Tour started with an individual time trial in Futuroscope and ended traditionally in Paris. The distance travelled was 3662.5 km... |
44 2001 Tour de France The 2001 Tour de France was particularly difficult, having contained a 67-km long team time trial, two individual time trials and five mountain-top finishes on consecutive days, the second of which being the Chamrousse special category climb time trial. Thus, all the high-mountain stages were... |
- | - | - | 23 2005 Tour de France The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was... |
- | - | WD 2008 Tour de France The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage... |
 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... |
- | - | 26 1997 Vuelta a España The 52nd Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 6 to September 28, 1997. It consisted of 22 stages covering a total of 3,773 km, and was won by Alex Zülle of the ONCE cycling team.-Stages:-Final General Classification... |
- | 8 1999 Vuelta a España The 1999 Vuelta a España was the 54th Vuelta a España, taking place from September 4 starting in Murcia and finishing in Madrid on September 26, 1999. It consisted of 21 stages over 3576 km, ridden at an average speed of 39.449 km/h. The favourites were Laurent Jalabert, Alex Zülle, Jan... |
- | - | - | 23 2003 Vuelta a España The 58th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 6 to September 28, 2003... |
27 2004 Vuelta a España The 59th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 4 to September 26, 2004... |
35 | 13 | WD 2007 Vuelta a España The 2007 Vuelta a España, the sixty-second edition of the cycle race, took place from September 1 until September 23, 2007. For the first time in a decade, the race started in the region of Galicia, at Vigo, home to Óscar Pereiro, with a flat stage... |
- |
WD - Withdrew