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Area: Claudio Chiappucci - interview

Claudio Chiappucci - interview 2008

Claudio Chiappucci with Alfredo Martini (former Technical Manager of Professional Cyclists)

A story Claudio Chiappucci in a nutshell.

Claudio Chiappucci Born in Uboldo ( Varese, Italy ) on 28 February 1963

In 1989, competing for the Carrera Team, he wins " Coppa Placci " ( Placci Cup ) and the " Giro del Piemonte " ( Piedmont Tour )

In 1990 he wins the 1st stage " La Napoule " of Paris-Nice; 1st stage " Biancavilla" of " Settimana Siciliana " ( Sicily Week ) and is the winner
( Maglia Verde - Green T-shirt ) of the " G.P.M. - Gran Premio della Montagna " at the " Giro d'Italia " ( Tour of Italy ).

In 1991 he wins the " Milano - San Remo ", then the 1st stage, and is 1st in the final placings  in the " Giro dei Paesi Baschi "
( Basque Tour ), then the " Maglia A Punti " ( highest scoring competitor ) at the " Giro d'Italia " ( Tour of Italy ),
1st stage " Val Louron " at the " Tour de France " and the " Gran Prix Sanson " ( Marostica ).

In 1992 at the " Giro dell'Appennino " ( Tour of Appennine ) he gains 1st stage ( Pampeago ),
then is 1st in the final placings at the " Giro del Trentino " ( Trentino Tour ); and gains the " Gran Premio della Montagna "
( Maglia Verde - Green T-shirt ) at the " Giro d'Italia " ( Tour of Italy ); then he gains 1st stage " Sestriere " at the " Tour de France ".

In 1993 he wins the 1st stage " Corvara " at the " Giro d'Italia " ( Tour of Italy ) , 1st stage " Pau " at the " Tour de France ",
the " Classic Saint Sebastian ", the " Coppa Sabatini-Peccioli " ( Sabatini-Peccioli Cup ), the Japan Cup,
the " Cronoscalata della Futa " ( Futa Timed Climbing ) (setting the record of 26'55"), and wins the " Gran Premio della Montagna "
( Maglia Verde - Green T-shirt ) at the " Giro d'Italia " ( Tour of Italy ).

In 1994 he gains 1st stage " Monte Alola " at the " Galizia Tour ", the " Tre Valli Varesine ",
1st stage of " Boi Taull " and is 1st in the final placings at the " Catalunja Tour ". 

In 1995 he wins the " Nice Criterium ", The " Giro del Piemonte " ( Piedmont Tour ) and the Japan Cup.

.......and much more as well......

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A short interview with Claudio Chiappucci

:

1.When and how did you go professional?
I became a professional at the age of 19; I won many races as an amateur and thus I joined the Inox Pran / Carrera

2.Who were your favourite cycilsts as a child?
Bernard Hinault

3.Where's this EL DIABLO nickname of yours coming from? Who's invented it?
" The Devil " was born in the first races in South America, it's been the supporters to pin this nickname on me.

4.What's the most cherished memory in your career?
The first " Maglia Gialla " (Yellow T-shirt) at the 1990 Tour, as it came unexpectedly and thus
I could compete as a real leader, which I could never expect.

5.Your most difficult day on the bycicle?
At the Tour of Switzerland, 2nd year as a professional, due to an accident causing me the fractures
of collarbone and left foot, which affected the following seasons as well.

6.Your toughest opponent to defeat?
Miguel Indurain

7.What are your memories of the months spent with Marco Pantani? And what about your relationship with him afterwards?
Good relationships, even though Marco was very uncommunicative in nature, then we took different paths joining different teams,
and so we never had a chance to make friends with one another.
I'm very sorry about what happened in the end, and the real trouble with Marco is his never having had real friends.

8.Will you continue with tourist cycle races? In Spain as well?
Yes, sure… I have a great passion, and I'll practice it as long as I can.
I'm often invited in Spain and France, and I take part in many a stage with cycle tourist groups.

9.Are you still connected with the world of professional cycling? Are you ging to be a Team Director?
Yes, I follow it with great attention; I'd like to actively enter the field of public relations.
I'm waiting for a possible call to involvement which never came to date.

10.What are the main changes in today's cycling compared to that of your days?
Mostly the athletical training of cyclists, in that they concentrate on a given period in the season, while once one rather
cared about being competitive through time.
The evolution in materials had its part, too, but it's been a marginal influence.

11.Are there today as many a young talent as there were in your days, or are we through times of crisis?
I'd call it a stagnation period, I notice young talents come to the fore for a given period,
basically in the first years in their careers, and then they suffer drops preventing them from consistently progressing.

12.What do you think of the " UCI Pro Tour "?
I don't like it.... it moves away the sponsors.

13.The best cyclist in history?
Eddy Mercx

14.You've been quite a brave cyclist. We don't see today attacks such as yours.
How come? Lack of courage, poor physical form, or too conservative directors?
Courage is certainly lacking and cyclists just mind solely about the result; not to be overlooked the actions of team managers
as well as they're very conservative in that many times the cyclist doesn't act on the basis of his own feelings
and must comply with outside orders coming via the earphones.

15.What do you think of earphones? Are these tools of help? What difference they effect when comparing to the past?
As I said, I am negatively impressed by earphones,
and I'd rather forbid their use as they make cycling less spectacular and unpredictable.

16. What differences can be found amongst the Great Tours? Does one train differently for each one? Why?
The " Giro " comes right after the Great Classics, and many a champion snubs it due to that and thus prefers
the " Tour " who comes in in an ideal time; after all, The Tour has a greater fascination and ensures higher income,
the " Vuelta " is more of a training and launching pad for World Championship,
so few are the cyclists that train to win it, and in the last years I've also noticed little interest
on the part of the Spanish public which is not large along the slopes of the great hills.

17.With 100 km of timed stages and the mountain stages always resolving on the last hill…
do you think the victory in the Great Tours being an easy prey for the best chronometer specialist who can also resist the uphills?
If they will continue to offer very long timed stages, it will inevitably be so.

18.In your view, how many kilometres of timed stages ought to be in a Tour?
One timed climbing not exceeding 15 km – one timed flat race not exceeding
45km – the timed prologue is immaterial, and it does good to the show, too.

19.In the mountain stages we witness a battle amongst leaders always occurring at
the end - the last hill. Aren't we losing spectacularity? Are team managers to blame?
Few leaders exist who can attack and thus they'd rather not take initiative, keeping a conservative attitude…
as it's been prevoiusly said, the earphones have spoilt the unpredictable side a cyclist can put in existence.

20.What might happen if Indurain had been opponent to Armstrong?
Indurain had certainly won as he's stronger.
Indurain had much more opponents to have confrontation with,
Armstrong has always had few opponents who could really bother him.

21.Who do you think better of: Cunego or Valverde?
Valverde is more complete, and has demonstrated to be a cyclist who can better adapt to all paths.

22.Who will be the successor of Armstrong?
Difficult to say as well as to think… I think good of Valverde;
in my opinion, if he keeps up to expectations he'll be the one to defeat.

23.Who will be the next champion in the Italian cycling?
Many are at the same level, certainly the candidates are Cunego and Basso.


24.Give us some suggestions to become a professional.
Lots of passion, stubbornness, capability for suffering, willpower.

25.Has your rivalry with Gianni Bugno been just a journalistic exaggeration?
Not at all. There was quite some rivalry between us since we had similar characteristics;
this furthermore backed me up and thus I gave my all to do well.

26.What memories do you retain of the Sestrière stage of the Tour?
I recall that stage pretty well: i prepared it in advance because I attached great importance
to creating a good impression, moreover, it was the only stage of Tour going through Italy.

27.How much do you think you could have won, in the " Giro " and the " Tour ", with one less Indurain between your pedals?
One more " Giro " and one more " Tour " at least… I tried at all costs, but Indurain always had timed stages on his side.

Heartfelt thanks to Claudio Chiappucci for this interview, we hope that with your experience
you will give your contribution to professional cycling.
You will forever be our " EL DIABLO "

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From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopaedia.

Definition of : Claudio Chiappucci

Claudio Chiappucci, called "El Diablo", has been one of the greatest cyclist racers of the Nineties.
He's famous for a stage won at the " Tour de France " finished at the " Sestriere " after an exciting advance ahead of the opponents' pack.
In his career he had a confrontation with another great champion, Miguel Indurain, who had a say
as follows: "My victories wouldn't be that beautiful, hadn't I had an opponent such as Chiappucci".

Amongst the successes of Chiappucci (called "Chiapussì" by the French as an endearment) can be found a Silver Medal
achieved in 1994 at the Cycling World Championship that took place in Sicily.
Endowed with a non-exceptional physique, Chiappucci stood out thanks to his style based on determination
and willingness to fight: always ready to attack, he wouldn't stop in the face of any hill or race against time.
He is deemed to be one of the athletes who contributed the most to raise Marco Pantani as to cycling.

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This page is dedicated to Claudio by all the Staff

(attivato da poco tempo e non su tutte le pagine)