Filippo Pozzato

Filippo Pozzato

Pozzato at the 2009 Tour of Flanders
Personal information
Full name	Filippo Pozzato
Born	(1981-09-10) 10 September 1981 Sandrigo, Italy
Height	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	73 kg (161 lb; 11.5 st)
Team information
Current team	Lampre–Merida
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Classics specialist
Professional team(s)
2000–2002	Mapei–Quick-Step
2003–2004	Fassa Bortolo
2005–2006	Quick-Step–Innergetic
2007–2008	Liquigas
2009–2011	Team Katusha
2012	Farnese Vini–Selle Italia
2013–	Lampre–Merida
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 2 individual stages (2004, 2007) Giro d'Italia 1 individual stage (2010) Vuelta a España 1 Team Time Trial (2008) Stage races Tirreno–Adriatico (2003) One-day races and Classics National Road Race Championships (2009) Milan–San Remo (2006) HEW Cyclassics (2005) GP Ouest-France (2013) E3 Harelbeke (2009) Omloop "Het Volk" (2007)
Infobox last updated on 9 March 2014

Filippo "Pippo" Pozzato (born 10 September 1981) is an Italian road racing cyclist with UCI World Tour team Lampre–Merida.^[1]

A northern classics specialist, Pozzato has finished 13th (2006), 14th (2007), 6th (2008) and 2nd (2012) at the Tour of Flanders. His best finish at the Paris–Roubaix was 2nd in 2009. (He also delivered a respectable 15th in 2006). At the Gent–Wevelgem Pozzato finished 13th (2008) and 4th (2006). In the Omloop Het Volk he finished 6th (2003) and 1st (2007). Pozzato also won the 2006 Milan–San Remo, and has won stages in all three Grand Tours.

Career

Mapei-Quick Step

Born in Sandrigo, Veneto, Pozzato turned professional in 2000 with the Mapei–Quick-Step cycling team, part of the famous classe di '81 a group of emerging young riders born in 1981 who were part of the Mapei TT3 development team. Other alumni include Fabian Cancellara and Bernhard Eisel, Alexandr Kolobnev and Gryschenko.

Fassa Bortolo

After Mapei ended its sponsorship in 2002 Pozzato joined Giancarlo Ferretti's Fassa Bortolo cycling team. Despite his win of Tirreno–Adriatico in 2003 and a stage win in the 2004 Tour de France, personality clashes with Ferretti meant that Pozzato suffered poor years with Fassa Bortolo in 2002–2004. During this period he was injured for some time and had to work for star sprinter Alessandro Petacchi at other times.

During the 2004 season he was chosen to be part of the Italian 2004 Olympics team in support of team leader Paolo Bettini who went on to win the event.

Quick Step-Innergetic

He re-established contact with several managers and directeurs sportif of Quick-Step–Innergetic. The Quick Step-Innergetic team expressed interest and Pozzato was able to obtain a release for the 2005 ProTour season, joining several former Mapei riders already on the team, such as Paolo Bettini and Davide Bramati.

The 2005 ProTour season went better for Pozzato, with a win in the HEW Cyclassics in front of teammate Luca Paolini.

The 2006 season saw him win the first major classic of the year Milan–San Remo after a superb ride which saw him first work for team leader Tom Boonen, but then was forced to launch his own winning attack in the finale.

Liquigas

For the 2007 season, Pozzato joined the Liquigas squad, and began his season in style, winning the Tour du Haut Var the Omloop Het Volk and Stage 5 of the Tour de France.

Team Katusha

In 2009 he won the E3 Prijs Vlaanderen. His results show experience, comfort, and power on the cobblestones and on the Belgian hills ("hellingen"). In aftermath of his 2nd place in the 2009 Paris–Roubaix, Pozzato claimed that when avoiding a crash of Thor Hushovd he lost 4 or 5 seconds and the chance for victory. He also suggested that Boonen benefited from the slipstream of official motorcycles to augment his lead.^[2]

In 2010 he has been accused by several riders, including Bjorn Leukemans, Boonen and Philippe Gilbert for his "negative tactics" during key races. This resulted in the nickname "The Shadow".^[3]

Lampre-Merida

In 2013, Pozzato earned his first victory of the year in the Trofeo Laigueglia, held in Liguria, Italy on mainly narrow, twisting and turning roads. His team Lampre–Merida reeled in the breakaway and controlled the front of the leading group when Mauro Santambrogio (Vini Fantini–Selle Italia) attacked with 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to cover, with Pozzato jumping in his slipstream. The sprint was contested by 4 riders, Pozzato getting the best of them. This marked Pozzato's third win in the event, a record in the race's history.^[4] In September, he raced the GP Ouest-France and despite not being a top favourite, he won the race, becoming just the fifth Italian to do that.

Doping ban

In 2012, Pozzato was banned from cycling for three months by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI) after it was found that he had worked with infamous doctor Michele Ferrari from 2005 to 2008. CONI had looked to ban him for a year but were forced to reduce it to a three months thanks to a technicality.^[5]

Palmarès

Grand Tour General Classification results timeline

Grand Tour	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014
Giro	-	84	-	-	-	WD	45	-	WD	120	-
Tour	116	-	133	WD	67	100	-	-	-	-	-
Vuelta	-	-	-	-	WD	-	WD	-	-	-	WD

WD = Withdrew; IP = In Progress

Monuments results timeline

DNF = Did not finish
— = Did not compete

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Filippo Pozzato.

• Official website
• Filippo Pozzato profile at Cycling Archives
• Palmares on Cycling Base
• Cyclingnews.com interview, September 2004