Andrea Tafi

This article explains the cyclist Andrea Tafi, for the artist of the same name see Andrea Tafi (artist) .

Andrea Tafi

Andrea Tafi (1998)
To person
Nickname	Il gladiatore
Date of birth	May 7, 1966
nation	Italy
discipline	Street
End of career	2005
Most important successes
World Tour 1996 Giro di Lombardia 1999 Paris – Roubaix 2000 Paris – Tours 2002 Tour of Flanders
Last updated: December 18, 2018

Paving stone for Tafi in honor of his victory at Paris – Roubaix 1999

Andrea Tafi (born May 7, 1966 in Fucecchio ) is a former Italian cyclist . In the course of his cycling career, he won three cycling monuments

Athletic career

Together with a friend, Andrea Tafi started cycling in elementary school, initially against his parents' wishes. He graduated as an office clerk and initially drove as an amateur races in his spare time and without any particular success. In 1989 he decided to become a professional after he was brought into the Eurocar-Mosoca team in 1989 by Gianni Savio .

In his first year Tafi won a stage each of the Tour of Luxembourg and the Vuelta a Murcia , and the following year the Tour of Britain . In 1991 he won the Giro del Lazio . In 1994 he moved to Mapei and stayed with the team for nine seasons until it was dissolved in 2002.

In 1996 Tafi won important victories in four races, the Lombard Tour , the Giro del Lazio , Paris-Brussels and the Trofeo Melinda . He developed into a specialist in one-day races and one of the best drivers on cobblestones . In 1999 and 2002 he won the Paris – Roubaix classics, which are notorious for this road surface, and the Tour of Flanders , as the only Italian driver to date ( as of 2018 ). He also won three of the five monuments of cycling . In 1998 he became the Italian road champion. He won the Giro del Lazio three times - in 1991, 1996 and 1998. In 2005 he competed again in the Paris – Roubaix race , which he finished in 42nd place, but he was celebrated by the spectators "as if he had won". After this race, Tafi ended his career at the age of 39.

In October 2018, Tafi announced that he would compete for the 20th anniversary of his first victory at Paris-Roubaix 2019 . However, he did not find a team that would have nominated him for the race; therefore he expressed the wish to be able to drive a few kilometers at least a few minutes before the field. Finally, in March 2019, he broke his collarbone in a local race , so that he could only take part in Paris-Roubaix as a spectator.

Suspected doping

In an investigation report by the Anti-Doping Commission of the French Senate in July 2013, Tafi was accused of being among around 60 drivers who, based on follow-up tests in 2004, had doped with the blood formation hormone erythropoietin (EPO for short) at the 1998 Tour de France could be proven. There was no sanction.

Professional

Since retiring from active cycling, Andrea Tafi has been running the Il Borghetto farm and holiday farm in Lamporecchio, Tuscany . The holiday apartments there are named after the races he won ( as of 2018 ).

Successes (selection)

1989 one stage tour of Luxembourg a stage Vuelta a Murcia 1990 one stage Tour of Britain 1991 Giro del Lazio 1992 Chronostaffetta 1994 Grand Prix de Fourmies 1996 Trofeo Melinda Paris – Brussels Giro del Lazio Giro di Lombardia

1997 two stages Tour de Langkawi Grand Prix de Fourmies 1998 Coppa Agostoni one stage Tour de Langkawi Italian champion - road racing Giro del Lazio 1999 Paris – Roubaix Piedmont tour 2000 Paris Tours 2001 one stage tour of Burgos 2002 Tour of Flanders

Grand Tour placements

Grand Tour	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Giro d'Italia	-	-	-	35	-	-	-	80	-	-	-
Tour de France	-	128	-	39	45	57	42	-	-	-	106
Vuelta a España	98	-	-	-	-	-	-	29	74	-	-

Monuments of cycling

Monument to cycling	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005
Milan – Sanremo	81	135	105	95	88	41	36	76	145	57	73	88	-	119	159	121
Tour of Flanders	-	-	-	84	-	35	15th	26th	44	41	22nd	62	1	47	-	69
Paris – Roubaix	-	77	79	-	-	14th	3	19th	2	1	10	27	17th	5	43	42
Liège – Bastogne – Liège	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	66	-	-	65	-	-	-	-	-
Lombardy tour	-	70	-	-	-	-	1	7th	10	30th	25th	31	-	-	-	-

Web links

Commons : Andrea Tafi  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Andrea Tafi in the database of Radsportseiten.net
• Andrea Tafi in the ProCyclingStats.com database

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Paolo Mannini: Andrea Tafi, il Gladiatore. In: museociclismo.it. Retrieved December 18, 2018 (Italian). 
2. ↑ Tafi will not compete in the Dimension Data jersey at Paris-Roubaix. In: radsport-news.com. November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2018 . 
3. ↑ Stephen Farrand: Collarbone fracture ends Tafi's dream of racing Paris-Roubaix. In: cyclingnews.com. March 17, 2019, accessed March 18, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Also Pantani, Heppner, Cipollini and Jalabert on the EPO list - Ullrich and Zabel doped on the 1998 tour. Report on spox.com, July 24, 2013. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
5. ↑ Cycling4Fans - Doping: T. In: cycling4fans.de. Retrieved December 18, 2018 . 
6. ↑ Benvenuti a Il Borghetto Andrea Tafi. In: ilborghettodiandreatafi.it. January 3, 2012, accessed December 18, 2018 (Italian).