Mario Cipollini

Mario Cipollini , often abbreviated to Cipo, is a retired Italian professional road cyclist most noted for his sprinting ability, the longevity of his dominance and his colourful personality. His nicknames include Il Re Leone and Super Mario. He is regarded as one of the best sprinters of his generation.

Cipollini was born in Lucca, Tuscany. He came from a cycling family his father, Vivaldo, had been a successful amateur racer in his youth, whilst his brother Cesare had raced as a professional and his sister Tiziana had also competed as a cyclist. Mario was a prolific winner in his youth career, scoring a total of 125 victories in age group and amateur races before joining the professional peloton in 1989. His career highlights include the Road World Championships and MilanSan Remo in 2002, and 42 stages in the Giro dItalia. Cipollinis 42nd Giro stage win in 2003 his last stage win in that race160 broke the record by Alfredo Binda that had stood since 1933. He also wonstages in the Tour de France and three stages in the Vuelta a Espaa. In the 1999 Tour de France he led the peloton on the fastest stage in the history of the Tour, averaging more than 50160kmh over 194.5160km. In the same Tour, he won 4160stages in a row, setting the postWWII record for consecutive stage wins. He ha

Source: Wikipedia