El Diablo

Nicknamed El Diablo (when racing in S. America) for his devilish attacking style, Claudio Chiappucci was one of the most charismatic stars of the peloton in the 1990s. Firing onto the scene in the 1990 Tour de France, Chiappucci led an early break on the first stage and remained in yellow until Greg Lemond seized top spot in the final TT. His most famous win came on stage 13 of the 1992 Tour: Attacking on the first climb, he held off both Gianni Bugno and Miguel Indurain all the way to the finish in Sestriere. The final climb was also a poignant place for victory as Fausto Coppi, Il Campionissimo, had won there in similar style several generations before.

Chiappucci was the first Italian cyclist to arrive on the podium at the Tour since Felice Gimondi in 1972. He also won the 1991 Milan San-Remo and finished second at the Giro d’Italia in the same year. Chiappucci won the climber’s prize twice at the Giro and the Tour. He was also a major influence on another Italian climbing sensation of the 1990s, Marco Pantani.