Giovanni Lombardi
Encyclopedia
Giovanni Lombardi is an Italian
former professional road bicycling racer who raced from 1992 to 2006. He started his career as a sprinter
, winning multiple stages in the Giro d'Italia
. He went on to ride as an important helper for the top sprinter names of Erik Zabel
and Mario Cipollini
. Most recently, he rode for Team CSC
as a helper for Ivan Basso
. Lombardi was also an active track racer
during wintertime, and has participated in many six-day races
, frequently as a partner of Marco Villa
.
(Lombardy
). In 1992 he became a pro with the Lampre team. Lombardi's speciality is the bunch sprint, which he already proved in his early pro-years. Among other wins, he won a stage in the 1993 Midi Libre
and the year after two stages in both Tour de Suisse
and Vuelta a Murcia
. He also came in second in three different stages of the Giro d'Italia
during his years at Lampre.
In 1995, his first year of service in the Polti team, he finally won a Giro d'Italia stage, as well as another stage win in Tour de Suisse. A year later he yet again won a stage in the Giro, as well as one in Ronde van Nederland
.
Despite his victories, Lombardi still stood in the shadow of the great sprinters of his generation, such as Erik Zabel and Mario Cipollini. For this reason Lombardi chose to cash in on his talent by relocating to Telekom
in 1997. Here his job was to prepare the sprint for Erik Zabel, by guiding Zabel through the peloton
. In his first year in the team, he missed out on the peak of the cycling season, Tour de France
, as the team wanted to ride for Jan Ullrich
's chances in the general classement. During his time at Telekom, however, Lombardi gathered a healthy list of honours, including stage triumphs in Volta a Catalunya, Österreich Rundfahrt
, Bicicleta Vasca and Tirreno–Adriatico, as well as a stage in the 1998 Vuelta a España
, Ronde van Nederland, Vuelta a Burgos
and Danmark Rundt
.
In 2002, Lombardi returned to his native country, to drive in the service of Cipollini at the Acqua e Sapone and Domina Vacanze
teams. Beside working hard in the last kilometres of the races for Cipollini, Lombardi himself still won stages in the Giro (two times), the Vuelta, Tour de Romandie
and Vuelta a Aragón
.
Before the 2005 season, he left Cipollini and went to the Danish Team CSC. Lombardi became the only rider of the peloton to participate and complete all three grand tours of the 2005 season, riding the Giro and Tour de France for team captain Ivan Basso as well as the Vuelta for Carlos Sastre
. He now uses his great experience of towing Zabel and Cipollini around the peloton to keep Basso in the right place and avoid crashes for his captain.
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2002
2003
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
former professional road bicycling racer who raced from 1992 to 2006. He started his career as a sprinter
Cycling sprinter
A cycling sprinter is a road bicycle racer or track racer who can finish a race very explosively by accelerating quickly to a high speed, often using the slipstream of another cyclist or group of cyclists tactically to conserve energy.-The road sprinter:...
, winning multiple stages in the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
. He went on to ride as an important helper for the top sprinter names of Erik Zabel
Erik Zabel
Erik Zabel is a former German professional road bicycle racer who last raced with Milram. With over 200 professional wins he is considered by some one of the greatest German cyclists and best cycling sprinters of history...
and Mario Cipollini
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...
. Most recently, he rode for Team CSC
Team CSC
Team Saxo Bank-SunGard is a professional cycling team from Denmark. It competes in the UCI ProTour. The team is owned and managed by former Tour de France winner Bjarne Riis, under the management of his company Riis Cycling. The sponsor is a Danish investment bank.Founded for 1998 Team home – Jack...
as a helper for Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso
Ivan Basso is an Italian professional road bicycle racer who is currently racing with UCI ProTeam . Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, is among the best mountain riders in the professional field in the 21st century, and is considered one of the strongest stage race riders...
. Lombardi was also an active track racer
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....
during wintertime, and has participated in many six-day races
Six-day racing
A six or six-day is a track cycling race that lasts six days. Six-day races started in Britain, spread to many regions of the world, were brought to their modern style in the United States and are now mainly a European event. Initially, individuals competed alone, the winner being the individual...
, frequently as a partner of Marco Villa
Marco Villa
Marco Villa is a road bicycle and track cyclist from Italy. He won the bronze medal in the men's Madison at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia alongside Silvio Martinello. He is a professional rider since 1993.-References:...
.
Biography
Lombardi was born in PaviaPavia
Pavia , the ancient Ticinum, is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, northern Italy, 35 km south of Milan on the lower Ticino river near its confluence with the Po. It is the capital of the province of Pavia. It has a population of c. 71,000...
(Lombardy
Lombardy
Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...
). In 1992 he became a pro with the Lampre team. Lombardi's speciality is the bunch sprint, which he already proved in his early pro-years. Among other wins, he won a stage in the 1993 Midi Libre
Grand Prix du Midi Libre
The Grand Prix du Midi Libre was a multiple-stage cycling course in the south of France. The race, named after the newspaper that organized it, was first organized in 1949 and was an important preparation courses for the Tour de France...
and the year after two stages in both Tour de Suisse
Tour de Suisse
The Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
and Vuelta a Murcia
Vuelta a Murcia
The Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. The race consists of a men's competition over five stages and is part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event. The first four editions were reserved to amateurs....
. He also came in second in three different stages of the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
during his years at Lampre.
In 1995, his first year of service in the Polti team, he finally won a Giro d'Italia stage, as well as another stage win in Tour de Suisse. A year later he yet again won a stage in the Giro, as well as one in Ronde van Nederland
Ronde van Nederland
The Ronde van Nederland is a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948. It's an annual race since 1975. Because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005 the tour was replaced by the Eneco Tour of Benelux....
.
Despite his victories, Lombardi still stood in the shadow of the great sprinters of his generation, such as Erik Zabel and Mario Cipollini. For this reason Lombardi chose to cash in on his talent by relocating to Telekom
T-Mobile Team
HTC-Highroad is a professional cycling team competing in international road bicycle races. Their current title sponsor is HTC Corporation, a Taiwanese manufacturer of smartphones. High Road Sports is the management company of team manager Bob Stapleton. Past title sponsors include Columbia...
in 1997. Here his job was to prepare the sprint for Erik Zabel, by guiding Zabel through the peloton
Peloton
The peloton , field, bunch or pack is the large main group of riders in a road bicycle race. Riders in a group save energy by riding close near other riders...
. In his first year in the team, he missed out on the peak of the cycling season, Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, as the team wanted to ride for Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich
Jan Ullrich is a German former professional road bicycle racer. In 1997, he was the first German to win the Tour de France. He went on to take five second places and a fourth in 2004 and third in 2005. He is considered one of the best time-trialists in the history of the sport...
's chances in the general classement. During his time at Telekom, however, Lombardi gathered a healthy list of honours, including stage triumphs in Volta a Catalunya, Österreich Rundfahrt
Österreich Rundfahrt
The Tour of Austria is a stage cycling race held in Austria. From 1949 to 1995 it was a race for amateur cyclists, turning into a professional event in 1996. In 2005 and 2006 it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, becoming a 2.HC event in 2007. Since 2005 it has usually been held...
, Bicicleta Vasca and Tirreno–Adriatico, as well as a stage in the 1998 Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
, Ronde van Nederland, Vuelta a Burgos
Vuelta a Burgos
Vuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite men's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarés:...
and Danmark Rundt
Danmark Rundt
Danmark Rundt is a Danish stage race for professional road bicycle racers organized as a part of the UCI Continental Circuits. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, Post Danmark, and the race is therefore also known as Post Danmark Rundt. Currently 15 teams, with 8 riders...
.
In 2002, Lombardi returned to his native country, to drive in the service of Cipollini at the Acqua e Sapone and Domina Vacanze
Domina Vacanze
Domina Vacanze is a hotel group based in Italy. They are best known for the professional cycling team they sponsored. For the 2005 season the team competed in the 2005 UCI ProTour however they didn't have the budget of the other teams and produced very few wins...
teams. Beside working hard in the last kilometres of the races for Cipollini, Lombardi himself still won stages in the Giro (two times), the Vuelta, Tour de Romandie
Tour de Romandie
The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
and Vuelta a Aragón
Vuelta a Aragón
Vuelta a Aragón is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in April each year. The event was first run in 1939 but has not been held consistently, being cancelled in 2006 and 2007...
.
Before the 2005 season, he left Cipollini and went to the Danish Team CSC. Lombardi became the only rider of the peloton to participate and complete all three grand tours of the 2005 season, riding the Giro and Tour de France for team captain Ivan Basso as well as the Vuelta for Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre
Carlos Sastre Candil is a retired Spanish professional road bicycle racer and champion of the 2008 Tour de France. Sastre rides in 2011 for UCI Professional Continental team...
. He now uses his great experience of towing Zabel and Cipollini around the peloton to keep Basso in the right place and avoid crashes for his captain.
Wins
1992- Olympics Points Race
1993
- Stage 1, Midi LibreMidi LibreMidi Libre is a French daily newspaper in Montpellier that covers general news. It began publication in 1944.In 1949 the newspaper organised a multiple-stage cycling course Grand Prix du Midi Libre.-External links:* * , Mondo Times* , 1 December 2006...
- Stage 1 and Stage 4, Hofbräu CupHofbrau CupThe Schwanenbrau Cup , Hofbrau Cup or Dekra Open was a short professional stage race cycling race held annually in Germany.- Winners :-1988 Schwanenbrau Cup:-1989 Schwanenbrau Cup:...
1994
- Stage 2 and Stage 10, Tour de SuisseTour de SuisseThe Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
- Stage 1 and Stage 3, Vuelta a MurciaVuelta a MurciaThe Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia is a road bicycle race held in and around Murcia, Spain. The race consists of a men's competition over five stages and is part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event. The first four editions were reserved to amateurs....
1995
- Stage 22, Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
- Stage 7, Tour de Suisse
1996
- Stage 3, Giro d'Italia
- Stage 3, Ronde van NederlandRonde van NederlandThe Ronde van Nederland is a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948. It's an annual race since 1975. Because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005 the tour was replaced by the Eneco Tour of Benelux....
- Stage 4, Giro di PugliaGiro di PugliaThe Giro di Puglia was a road bicycle racing stage race. It consisted of three or four stages. It was first held in 1972, but last took place in 1998....
- Stage 2, Giro di Calabria
1997
- Stage 4, Tirreno–Adriatico
- Stage 6, Ronde van Nederland
- Stage 1, Bicicleta Vasca
- Stage 2 and Stage 5, Danmark RundtDanmark RundtDanmark Rundt is a Danish stage race for professional road bicycle racers organized as a part of the UCI Continental Circuits. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, Post Danmark, and the race is therefore also known as Post Danmark Rundt. Currently 15 teams, with 8 riders...
1998
- Stage 7, Vuelta a EspañaVuelta a EspañaThe Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
- Stage 6, Tirreno–Adriatico
1999
- Stage 4, Bicicleta Vasca
- Stage 4, Regio-TourRegio-TourThe Regio-Tour is a multi-stage road bicycle race held between France, Switzerland and Germany. It was first held in 1985 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
- Stage 3, Österreich RundfahrtÖsterreich RundfahrtThe Tour of Austria is a stage cycling race held in Austria. From 1949 to 1995 it was a race for amateur cyclists, turning into a professional event in 1996. In 2005 and 2006 it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, becoming a 2.HC event in 2007. Since 2005 it has usually been held...
2000
- Stage 5 and Stage 6, Volta a Catalunya
- Stage 3, Vuelta a BurgosVuelta a BurgosVuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite men's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarés:...
- Stage 1, Bicicleta Vasca
- Stage 5, Vuelta a AragónVuelta a AragónVuelta a Aragón is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in April each year. The event was first run in 1939 but has not been held consistently, being cancelled in 2006 and 2007...
- Stage 1 and Stage 7, Österreich Rundfahrt
2002
- Stage 6, Giro d'Italia
- Stage 13, Vuelta a España
- Stage 1 and Stage 3, Tour de RomandieTour de RomandieThe Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
- Stage 5, Vuelta a Aragón
- Stage 3, Tour MéditerranéenTour MéditerranéenTour Méditerranéen is a professional road bicycle racing event held in southern France along the Mediterranean Sea. The Tour Méditerranéen is a five-day stage race that began in 1974 and since 2005 has been a part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 2.1 event...
2003
- Stage 20, Giro d'Italia