Leonardo Piepoli

Cyclist infobox
ridername = Leonardo Piepoli


fullname = Leonardo Piepoli
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1971|9|29
country = ITA
height = height|m=1.72
weight = convert|52|kg|lb st|abbr=on|lk=on
currentteam = None
discipline = Road
role = Rider
ridertype = Climbing specialist
amateuryears =
amateurteams =
proyears = 1995–1997
1998
1999–2003
2004–2007
2008
proteams = Refin
Saeco
Banesto
Saunier Duval-Prodir
Saunier Duval Scott
majorwins = Tour de France, 1 stage
Giro d'Italia, 3 stages
Vuelta a España, 2 stages
Subida a Urkiola (1995, 1999, 2003, 2004)
updated = September 9 2007

Leonardo Piepoli (born September 29, 1971 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. He most recently rode for the Saunier Duval-Prodir Team on the UCI ProTour, but was fired in July 2008. He is a record four-time winner (1995, 1999, 2003, 2004) of the Subida a Urkiola. Piepoli is a specialist climber, and this was shown in the 2006 Giro d'Italia, where he was one of the strongest riders in the mountains and won two stages. Leonardo became the 2007 Giro d'Italia Mountains classification winner. He has won stages in the Giro, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. He also made himself famous by giving two stage victories to his team-mates Gilberto Simoni and Riccardo Riccò. During the Vuelta, Piepoli reached the King of Mountains Classification top position, but because of "family reasons" had to leave the race.

In 2008 he had no luck during the Giro d'Italia, crashing two times, and leaving the race with three broken ribs and with his left hand fractured in two places. Later that year in the Tour de France, he managed to win the tenth stage, a mountain stage finishing at Hautacam, in addition to helping his team-mate Riccardo Riccò 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. 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" has reported that Piepoli has confessed to EPO usage, using the same third generation form (CERA) that his teammate Riccardo Ricco tested positive for. [ [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/jul08/jul20news Cycling News, July 8th 2008, "Dueñas, Piepoli confessed"] ] On October 6 2008, it was announced that two of Piepoli's samples from the Tour de France had been declared positive for CERA EPO. [ [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2008/oct08/oct07news Cycling News Flash, October 7 2008, "Piepoli and Schumacher Tour de France samples positive for CERA"] ]

Palmares

;1995: Subida a Urkiola: King of Mountains Classification, Tour de Suisse;1996: 17th overall, Tour de France;1998: 1st, stage 4 Vuelta a Burgos;1999 – Banesto: Vuelta a Castilla y León::1st stage 2 Vuelta a Castilla y León: Subida a Urkiola: 1st, stage 4 Vuelta a Burgos;2000 – Banesto: Vuelta a Aragón: Vuelta a Burgos::Mountain Classification Vuelta a Burgos: 2nd, Subida a Urkiola: 10th overall, Giro d'Italia;2002 – Banesto: Vuelta a Aragón overall and stage 1: Vuelta Asturias overall and stage 4;2003 – Banesto: Subida a Urkiola: Vuelta a Aragón and stage 1: Subida al Naranco;2004 – Saunier Duval-Prodir: 1st, Subida a Urkiola: 1st, Stage 9 – Vuelta a España: 3rd Vuelta a Aragon : 3rd Vuelta a Romandia: 3rd Subida al Naranco: 3rd Vuelta a Burgos;2005 – Saunier Duval-Prodir: 1st, Stage 4 – Volta a Catalunya: 2nd overall, Volta a Catalunya: 10th overall, Tour de Suisse: 23rd overall, Tour de France;2006 – Saunier Duval-Prodir: 11th overall, Giro d'Italia:: 1st, Stage 13:: 1st, Stage 17: 8th overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré: 13rd overall, 2006 Vuelta a España;2007 – Saunier Duval-Prodir: 14th overall Giro d'Italia:::: 1st, Stage 10:: 2nd, Stage 13:: 2nd, Stage 15:: 2nd, Stage 17: 11th overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré: 17th overall, 2007 Tour de Romandie: 1st, Stage 9, Vuelta a España: 2nd, Stage 4, Vuelta a España;2008 – Saunier Duval-Scott: 1st, Stage 10 Tour de France

ee also

* List of doping cases in cycling

References

External links

* [http://www.saunierduvalteam.com/cyclingteam/riderDetailN.jsp?idrider=1173439438116 Profile at the Saunier Duval-Prodir official website]
*trapfriis|italy.Piepoli.htm

Persondata
NAME=Piepoli, Leonardo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Road bicycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH=1971-09-29
PLACE OF BIRTH=La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=