16 Facts About Michele Bartoli

Michele Bartoli won the UCI Road World Cup in 1997 and 1998.

From 10 October 1998 until 6 June 1999, Michele Bartoli was number one on the UCI Road World Rankings.

Michele Bartoli finished third in the world championships of 1996 and 1998.

Michele Bartoli was competitive immediately, winning the overall and 3 stages at the first stage race he started, the 1993 Settimana Siciliana.

Michele Bartoli won the Three Days of De Panne and placed ninth overall in the Vuelta a Espana.

Michele Bartoli finished third at the World Championships in Lugano behind Johan Museeuw and Mauro Gianetti.

Michele Bartoli's slender build, combined with his feline ability to accelerate on steep climbs, made him the quintessential contender for the hilly Ardennes classics.

Michele Bartoli ended the season as world number one on the UCI Road World Rankings and won his second consecutive UCI World Cup.

In May 1999, Michele Bartoli broke his kneecap in a crash in the Tour of Germany, which ended his season.

Michele Bartoli returned to racing in 2000, but his Mapei team mate Paolo Bettini demanded a leading role, eventually leading to a feud between the two friends.

Michele Bartoli repeated his fourth place at the World championships.

In 2001, Michele Bartoli won Omloop Het Volk early in the season, but failed to win another major spring classic.

Michele Bartoli ended his professional career at the end of the 2004 season, suffering minor injuries.

Michele Bartoli is, with former cyclists Francesco Casagrande and Maximilian Sciandri, instructor of the Campagnolo Passion 2 Ride.

In May 2007, Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport reported that Michele Bartoli was linked with the Operacion Puerto doping investigation into the practices of Eufemiano Fuentes.

The report continued that Michele Bartoli received two blood transfusions from Fuentes in 2003.