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"If I weren't a professional cyclist, I'd be a porn star." Mario Cipollini's own words are an apt encapsulation of a rider fabled for his formidable sprinting ability and flamboyant persona; a man who admirers concede was controversial and naysayers scorn as egotistical. But few would deny, seeing him surging through the final straights of a race in his muscle suit or tiger-striped Lycra, the vibrancy and passion he brought to cycling. Immediately recognisable in any photograph with his tall, leonine figure and firm demeanour, the Italian maintained a largely unflappable professionalism behind the ostentation. It took fifteen years of dedicated effort to earn the title of world's fastest sprinter. When he reluctantly retired from road racing in 2005, the 38 year old emerged from a career which has now become part of cycling's mythos.

The 1989 Giro d'Italia saw a 22 year old Cipo's first professional encounter where he took a single stage victory. In 2003 he secured his 42nd Giro stage win, besting the record set by Alfredo Binda 70 years earlier. Super Mario immediately followed this long-sought triumph with a crash, which doing justice to his keen showmanship was an explosive one and forced his withdrawal from the Giro. Riddled with stitches, he condemned the crash for "effectively ending" his cycling career; a view enforced by the 2004 Giro where, for the first time, he failed to win any stages.

"The Lion King" celebrated four consecutive stage victories in the 1999 Tour de France by dressing as an ancient Roman for the start of the eighth stage and having his teammates haul him about in a chariot. Theatrics such as these may have reflected the growing commercialism of the Tour, but the organisers weren't inclined to appreciate them; neither were they delighted when the leading Cipollini illegally complimented his yellow jersey with matching shorts and bike. He nourished their disapproval by habitually abandoning his bike whenever mountains loomed above him. Uphill gradients were notoriously his nemesis and due to them he never completed a Tour, despite winning 12 stages in 8 entries. Unlike the fans the organisers were not amused by his antics, and ignited Cipo's ire by denying him an invite to the 2000 Tour.

Cipollini's most personally gratifying cycling achievement came in 2002 when after 13 attempts he won the longest of all one-day races: the Milan-San Remo (294km). A "dream come true", but marred by quarrels with his teammates. Following this came victory in the Road World Championships at Zolder with a record time of 5h30'3". The race ended in a phenomenal sprint finish in which the tactical assistance of his train saw Cipo rocketing across the line. From here, however, wins became increasingly scarce. Dismayed to find that he wouldn't be able to show off his rainbow jersey in the Tour de France, from which he was still barred, the champion realised the inevitable end was encroaching.

Cipollini's life since retirement has been just as temperamental as his career. He had the honour at the 2006 Winter Olympics closing ceremony of bearing the iconic flag, but experienced less illustrious moments this January when he was requested to hand over 1.1 million Euros of unpaid taxes. Today he has 191 victories in an epic cycling career to look back on; though it seems mere reminiscence will never satisfy him. On 20 January this year it was announced that Mario Cipollini, at almost 41, will return to racing once again. No one knows quite what is in store, but The Lion King promises his fans that there will be surprises.

Learn more about this author, Jon Martin.
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