FRENCH DIP: Thrills and spills from a transformative Tour Jul 29, 2008
Closing the door on an exciting, if not anonymous, Tour - Austin Murphy - SI.com. Posted: Monday July 28, 2008 12:10PM; Updated: Monday July 28, 2008 2:17PM. (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
Astana's Johan Bruyneel against barring defending champ from Tour de France Apr 6, 2008
Armstrong won seven straight Tours and Super Mario Cipollini was an Italian sprint ace who collected 191 race wins. ASO banned Astana because the team's doping scandals sullied the Tour in 2006 and 2007. (San Diego Union-Tribune -- Sports)
Tour of California aiming for 'grand' expansion Feb 25, 2008
" He even had kind words for Rock Racing, jeans mogul Michael Ball's audacious new team that had three team riders blocked from racing because they were under investigation of doping while members of other teams. "They brought in [superstar sprinter] Mario Cipollini, and that meant a lot to a lot of people," Messick says. "He was great and the fans love him. That other stuff didn't even move the needle. (USA Today -- Sports)
Boonen wins second stage of Tour of California Feb 20, 2008
Heinrich Haussler (Gerolsteiner) of Germany was second, and Mario Cipollini (High Road) -- the 40-year-old Italian who ended a three-year retirement to compete -- finished third, both in the same time as the winner. Farrar (Slipstream-Chipotle), who began the second stage trailing Fabian Cancellara (SCS) of Switzerland by 2 seconds, finished sixth in the stage. (CNN -- International)
Boonen Finishes First In Second Stage Of Tour Feb 20, 2008
Gerolsteiner rider Heinrich Haussler finished second in the second stage of the tour, and Rock Racings rider Mario Cipollini finished third. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger helped present the stage winners' jerseys after the race. (KCRA 3, CA)
DOPING SCANDALS: Cycling working to repair image Feb 19, 2008
Further ratcheting up the star power was Rock Racing, which, for reasons soon to be made clear, lured Italian sprinter Mario Cipollini out of retirement to don its skull-emblazoned jersey. For a man a month shy of his 41st birthday, a guy who hadn't raced for three years, the Lion King looked pretty good, finishing a respectable 44th. (SportsIllustrated.CNN)
'Rock' racers won't force way into Tour of California Feb 17, 2008
Italian sprinter Mario Cipollini will be added to the team's roster for Sunday's prologue. Cipollini, famous throughout his cycling career for his outrageous skin-tight racing outfits, will wear the team's distinctive black and neon-green uniform that features multiple images of a stylized Death's Head skull. (USA Today -- Sports)
* Sports Briefs Jan 20, 2008
Former sprint king Mario Cipollini is set to come out of retirement and sign a contract with US team Rock and Republic, the Gazzetta dello Sport reported on Friday. The 40-year-old, who arrived in California to negotiate with team officials, retired two years ago but is expected to formally complete a deal shortly. (Taipei Times, Taiwan -- World)
Italian cycling great Mario Cipollini retires Apr 29, 2007
GENEVA -- Italy's Mario Cipollini, one of cycling's most celebrated riders, announced his retirement on Tuesday. The 2002 world champion has been the sport's leading sprinter for the last 16 years and holds the Giro d'Italia record for the most stage wins, having crossed the line first 42 times. (ESPN -- Olympics)
NORM: LV band garners killer spot on 'SNL' Sep 30, 2006
At Spago (Forum Shops at Caesars) on Thursday: George Hincapie, longtime lieutenant to cycling great Lance Armstrong, hanging out with sprint great Mario Cipollini; OLN's Tour de France announcer Bob Roll and Spago honcho Tom Kaplan. THE PUNCH LINE. (Las Vegas Review-Journal -- Nevada News)
Olympian Bettini rides to avictory at worlds Sep 25, 2006
This was the first time an Italian won the title since Mario Cipollini in 2002. "We knew we had great potential," Bettini said. (SportsIllustrated.CNN -- More)
