Stefano Garzelli

Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Stefano Garzelli


image_caption = Garzelli at the 2007 Giro d'Italia
fullname = Stefano Garzelli
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1973|7|16
country = ITA
height =
weight =
currentteam = Acqua & Sapone-
Caffè Mokambo
discipline = Road
role = Rider
ridertype =
amateuryears =
amateurteams =
proyears = 1997–2000
2001–2002
2003–2004
2005–2006
2007–
proteams = Mercatone Uno
Mapei-Quick Step
Vini Caldirola
Liquigas
Acqua & Sapone-
Caffè Mokambo
majorwins = Giro d'Italia (2000), 7 stages
Tour de Suisse (1998)
updated = March 16 2008

Stefano Garzelli (born July 16, 1973, in Varese) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The high point of his career to date was his stirring overall win in the 2000 Giro d'Italia, after a close three-way competition with Gilberto Simoni and Francesco Casagrande.

Career

He started out as being a domestique for Marco Pantani but proved in 2000 that he deserved much more. When "The Pirate" lacked form in the beginning of the 2000 Giro, Garzelli was left free of all team duties for Mercatone Uno, and was able to fight and win his own battle in the Giro. In the final time-trial stage Garzelli took the race leadership away from Casagrande, who was suffering an inflamed sciatic nerve. Casagrande was devastated, and Garzelli dedicated his win to Pantani.

He is a versatile rider with qualities that include decent sprinting, decent time trials and some good skills in the mountains. Without being a great attacker, Garzelli is very constant and, on a good day, he can go with the best climbers.

After his win of the 2000 Giro d'Italia he was recruited by the Italian super-team Mapei in 2002, aiming to repeat his 2000 Giro success. The start of the season showed promise, with Garzelli being a key player in teammate Paolo Bettini's win in Liège-Bastogne-Liège, with Garzelli himself finishing second. The finale of the race saw Bettini and Garzelli make tactical moves to benefit from each others' aggressions and saw them finish the race with a comfortable margin to decide the win amongst themselves.

However, Garzelli was caught in the 2002 doping scandal in the Giro d'Italia, and was forced out of the race. Many believe that the circumstances of his suspension prompted the Mapei boss Giorgio Squinzi to terminate his sponsorship of the team at the end of the year. "The exclusion of Garzelli, who tested positive for a masking agent, wasn't a normal thing. At the start nothing was found. Later, as soon as he won a stage, a forbidden substance came out all of a sudden. That's bizarre," said Squinzi in an interview.

Garzelli was able to mount a come-back for the 2003 Giro d'Italia and was able to challenge eventual winner Gilberto Simoni in the race. He currently rides for Acqua & Sapone-Caffè Mokambo.

Palmares

;1998: 1st, Overall, Tour de Suisse:: 1st, Stage 5:: 1st, Stage 6:: 1st, Points competition and Combination competition;1999: 1st, GP Miguel Indurain: 1st, Stage 3, Vuelta al País Vasco;2000: :: 1st, Stage 18: 1st, Stage 8, Tour de Suisse: 1st, Mountains Competition, Tour de Suisse: 1st, Stage 4, Settimana Lombarda: Gran Premio Nobili Rubinetterie;2001: 1st, Stage 5a, Vuelta al País Vasco ;2002: GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano;2003: Giro del Trentino stage 1: 2nd, Overall, Giro d'Italia:: 1st, Stage 3:: 1st, Stage 7;2004: Vuelta a Aragón: Tour de Romandie stage 2: 6th overall, Giro d'Italia (and stage 19 win);2005: Tre Valli Varesine;2006: Rund um den Henninger Turm Frankfurt: Tour de Luxembourg stage 4: Tre Valli Varesine;2007: Giro del Trentino stage 3: Giro d'Italia stage 14, 16

ee also

* List of doping cases in cycling
*List of sportspeople sanctioned for doping offences

References

* [http://www.cyclingnews.com/riders/2002/interviews/mapei02.shtml Cyclingnews.com 2002 Mapei feature ]
* [http://www.dailypeloton.com/displayarticle.asp?pk=2473 Giorgio Squinzi: Mapei's anti-doping crusader ]
*

Persondata
NAME= Garzelli, Stefano
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Road bicycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH=1973-07-16
PLACE OF BIRTH=Varese, Italy
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=