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Leonardo Piepoli
Personal information
Full name	Leonardo Piepoli
Born	29 September 1971 (age 53); La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland
Height	1.69 m (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	54 kg (119 lb; 8.5 st)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Climbing specialist
Professional teams
1995–1997	Refin–Mobilvetta
1998	Saeco–Cannondale
1999–2003	Banesto
2004–2008	Saunier Duval–Prodir
Major wins
	Giro d'Italia, 3 stages; Vuelta a España, 2 stages; Subida a Urkiola (1995, 1999, 2003, 2004)

Leonardo Piepoli (born 29 September 1971 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) is a former Italian professional road racing cyclist. He most recently rode for Saunier Duval–Scott on the UCI ProTour, 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. He was later suspended for two years, which effectively ended his career.

Career

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. In the 2007 Giro d'Italia, Piepoli won the mountains classification. He has won stages in the Giro and the Vuelta a España. He also made himself famous by 'gifting' two stage victories to his team-mates Gilberto Simoni and Riccardo Riccò. During the Vuelta, Piepoli lead the mountains classification, 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, and also helped 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.

Doping allegations

Piepoli was fired from Saunier Duval on 18 July 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,^[1] but he denied this at the Italian National Olympic Committee's investigation into Riccò's case. On 6 October 2008, it was announced that two of Piepoli's samples from the Tour de France had also tested positive for CERA EPO.^[2] In a 7 January 2009 interview with the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Piepoli acknowledged that he had used CERA in "a moment of weakness".^[3] In January 2009, he was suspended from the sport for two years.^[4]

Career achievements

Major results

1995

1st Subida a Urkiola

1st Mountains classification, Tour de Suisse

1998

2nd Overall Vuelta a Burgos

1st Stage 4

3rd Clásica San Sebastián

1999

1st

Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León

1st Stage 2

1st Subida a Urkiola

1st Stage 4 Vuelta a Burgos

2000

1st

Overall Vuelta a Burgos

1st Mountains classification

1st

Overall Vuelta a Aragón

2nd Subida a Urkiola

10th Overall Giro d'Italia

2002

1st

Overall Vuelta a Aragón

1st Stage 1

1st

Overall Vuelta Asturias

1st Stage 4

2003

1st

Overall Vuelta a Aragón

1st Stage 1

1st Subida a Urkiola

1st Subida al Naranco

2004

1st Subida a Urkiola

1st Stage 9 Vuelta a España

3rd Overall Tour de Romandie

3rd Overall Vuelta a Burgos

3rd Overall Vuelta a Aragón

3rd Subida al Naranco

2005

2nd Overall Volta a Catalunya

1st Stage 4

10th Overall Tour de Suisse

2006

Giro d'Italia

1st Stage 13 & 17

8th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

2007

Giro d'Italia

1st

Mountains classification

1st Stage 10

1st Stage 9 Vuelta a España

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	DNF	38	DNF	16	DNF	10	DNF	—	—	—	—	11	14	DNF
Tour de France	—	17	—	14	—	DNF	44	—	—	—	23	—	—	DNF
Vuelta a España	—	—	26	—	8	—	—	—	23	27	35	13	DNF	—

DNF - Did not finish

References

^ Weislo, Laura (20 July 2008). "Dueñas, Piepoli confessed". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
^ George, Sue; Laura Weislo (7 October 2008). "Piepoli and Schumacher Tour de France samples positive for CERA". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
^ AP (7 January 2009). "Piepoli says he doped in "moment of weakness'". USA Today. Retrieved 23 December 2009.
^ AFP (28 January 2009). "Italian cyclist banned for drug use". The Age. Fairfax Digital. Retrieved 23 December 2009.