1. Overview
Leonardo Piepoli (born 29 September 1971) is a former Italian professional road racing cyclist who specialized as a climber. Throughout his career, he achieved notable victories in various races, including four wins at the Subida a Urkiola and multiple stage victories in Grand Tours such as the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a España. He also secured the mountains classification in the 2007 Giro d'Italia. Piepoli was known for his exceptional climbing prowess and his role as a domestique, often assisting teammates to victory. His career, however, concluded with a significant doping scandal in 2008, when he tested positive for CERA EPO during the 2008 Tour de France, leading to his dismissal from his team and a two-year ban from the sport.
2. Early Life and Background
Leonardo Piepoli was born on 29 September 1971, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. Despite his Swiss birthplace, he holds Italian nationality. Details about his early life and how he became involved in cycling are not extensively documented, but he eventually pursued a career in professional road racing.
3. Professional Cycling Career
Piepoli made his professional debut in 1995, quickly establishing himself as a formidable climber. His career saw him ride for several teams, most recently for Saunier Duval-Scott on the UCI ProTour until his contract was suspended in 2008.
3.1. Climbing Prowess and Team Support
Piepoli was renowned for his exceptional climbing abilities, consistently proving to be one of the strongest riders in mountainous terrain. This talent was evident early in his career, as he secured the mountains classification at the 1995 Tour de Suisse. He frequently served as a crucial domestique for his team leaders, demonstrating a willingness to sacrifice personal glory for team success.
In the 2006 Giro d'Italia, Piepoli was a key assistant to Gilberto Simoni, contributing significantly to Simoni's performance. His powerful climbing often caused the peloton to break apart when he took the lead on mountain passes, showcasing his immense strength. He "gifted" stage victories to teammates on multiple occasions, notably to Gilberto Simoni and Riccardo Riccò. During the 2008 Tour de France, in the mountainous 10th stage, which climbed the legendary Hautacam, Piepoli attacked in coordination with teammates Riccardo Riccò and Juan José Cobo. Despite having opportunities to break away for a solo win, he consistently waited for Cobo, dedicating himself to his domestique role. He and Cobo ultimately distanced other riders, and Piepoli crossed the finish line alongside Cobo, securing a stage victory that also significantly improved Cobo's overall standing.
3.2. Major Race Victories
Piepoli's career was marked by several significant victories, particularly in races with challenging mountainous profiles. He holds the record for four wins at the Subida a Urkiola, triumphing in 1995, 1999, 2003, and 2004.
His Grand Tour stage wins include:
- 2004 Vuelta a España: Stage 9
- 2006 Giro d'Italia: Stages 13 and 17
- 2007 Giro d'Italia: Stage 10, where he also won the Mountains classification (Maglia Verde).
- 2007 Vuelta a España: Stage 9
- 2008 Tour de France: Stage 10 (later stripped due to doping).
Other notable victories and classifications include:
- 1995: 1st, Subida a Urkiola; 1st, Mountains classification, Tour de Suisse
- 1999: 1st, Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León (including Stage 2); 1st, Subida a Urkiola; 1st, Stage 4 Vuelta a Burgos
- 2000: 1st, Overall Vuelta a Burgos (including Mountains classification); 1st, Overall Vuelta a Aragón
- 2002: 1st, Overall Vuelta a Aragón (including Stage 1); 1st, Overall Vuelta Asturias (including Stage 4)
- 2003: 1st, Overall Vuelta a Aragón (including Stage 1); 1st, Subida a Urkiola; 1st, Subida al Naranco
- 2004: 1st, Subida a Urkiola; 1st, Stage 9 Vuelta a España
- 2005: 1st, Stage 4 Volta a Catalunya
3.3. Grand Tour Participation and Results
Leonardo Piepoli participated in numerous Grand Tours throughout his professional career. His best overall general classification results were 8th in the 1999 Vuelta a España and 10th in the 2000 Giro d'Italia. He often aimed for stage wins and mountains classifications rather than overall general classification success, leveraging his climbing specialization.
In the 2008 Giro d'Italia, Piepoli crashed twice, sustaining three broken ribs and two fractures in his left hand, which forced him to withdraw from the race. During the 2007 Vuelta a España, he led the mountains classification but was compelled to leave the race before the 12th stage, citing "family problems."
| 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
4. Doping Allegations and Consequences
Leonardo Piepoli's professional cycling career ended abruptly due to a doping scandal in 2008. On 18 July 2008, he was dismissed from his team, Saunier Duval-Scott, for what the team described as a "violation of the team's ethical code." This dismissal occurred during the 2008 Tour de France, shortly after his teammate Riccardo Riccò tested positive for CERA, a third-generation form of EPO.
Initially, Piepoli denied any wrongdoing, even during an investigation by the Italian National Olympic Committee into Riccò's case. However, reports from the Spanish newspaper El Pais on 20 July 2008, claimed that Piepoli had confessed to using the same substance as Riccò. This was later confirmed when, on 6 October 2008, it was officially announced that two of Piepoli's blood samples, taken during the 2008 Tour de France, had also tested positive for CERA EPO.
In a subsequent interview with the Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport on 7 January 2009, Piepoli publicly acknowledged his use of CERA, stating it occurred in a "moment of weakness." Following his confession and the positive test results, Piepoli was suspended from the sport for two years in January 2009, effectively bringing his professional cycling career to an end. His victory in Stage 10 of the 2008 Tour de France was subsequently stripped due to these doping violations.
5. Legacy and Career Assessment
Leonardo Piepoli's career is largely defined by a stark contrast between his exceptional talent as a climber and the significant doping scandal that marred its conclusion. Before the doping allegations, he was widely regarded as one of the strongest climbers of his generation, capable of winning demanding mountain stages and supporting team leaders effectively. His four victories at the Subida a Urkiola and multiple Grand Tour stage wins, along with the mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia, attest to his prowess in the high mountains.
However, the revelation of his doping with CERA EPO cast a long shadow over his achievements. His confession and subsequent two-year ban led to the stripping of his 2008 Tour de France stage victory, diminishing the integrity of his past successes. The doping violations profoundly impacted his legacy, placing him among the many cyclists whose careers were tainted by performance-enhancing drugs during a controversial era in professional cycling. Despite his natural ability and tactical intelligence as a domestique, his career assessment is inextricably linked to the ethical breaches that brought it to an end.