Roberto Visentini

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Roberto Visentini (born June 2, 1957) is an Italian former professional road racing cyclist.

Visentini was born in Gardone Riviera, in the province of Brescia, and had a brilliant junior career. In 1975 he was both Junior Italian champion and World Champion. As an amateur he won 1977 time-trial World Championship.

He debuted as professional in 1978. In 1980 he won two stages at the Vuelta a España and was ninth overall in the Giro d'Italia. In 1983 Visentini joined the Inoxpran team and contested the final victory of the Giro with Giuseppe Saronni but was second. Riding for the Carrera team in 1984, he won a stage in the 1984 Giro d'Italia, a stage in Tirreno-Adriatico and the prologue of the Giro del Trentino.^[1] In the 1985 edition, when he was going to win his first Giro, he fell ill and was forced to retire, leaving he victory to Bernard Hinault.

In 1986 he then won his first and sole Giro by defeating racers such as Saronni, Francesco Moser and Greg LeMond. In the 1987 he was the protagonist of one of the most controversial episodes of 1980s Italian cycle racing: Visentini, who was the racing for Carrera, took the maglia rosa off the shoulders of teammate Stephen Roche after winning an individual time trial. Several days later in a mountain stage he was suddenly attacked by his teammate Roche, who had contravened the team's order. The Carrera team led the peloton in the chase after Roche until Visentini was left without any teammates. Visentini riskily tried to recover the gap alone but finished several minutes behind Roche who took back the maglia rosa.^[2] Several days later Visentini fell and had to retire from the race.

Roche left the Carrera team which kept Visentini, but he was no more able to repeat himself at the former levels. He concluded his career in 1990 with 18 victories, including the 1981 Giro del Trentino and the 1983 Tirreno-Adriatico.