Tony Rominger
Tony Rominger ( born March 27, 1961 in Vojens, Denmark ) is a retired Swiss cyclist.
- 4.1 Placement in the "Grand Tours"
Cycling career
Tony Rominger was born in Denmark, the son of a Danish mother and a Swiss father. He later moved with his father to Switzerland where Rominger, who first learned the profession of accountant, came to cycling.
1984 Rominger had his first international success when he won the prologue and a stage in Cinturón a Mallorca. In 1985 he was second in the Eastern Swiss Tour and was awarded the following year, at age 25, his first professional contract with Cilo Aufina.
1989 Rominger won for the first time a classic, the Tour of Lombardy. In the following years he became an all-rounder and won the 1992 Vuelta a España for the first time, where he ever won three times in a row until 1994 as the first professional cyclist; In 1995 he also won the Giro d' Italia.
At the Tour de France but was defeated, however, Rominger repeatedly Miguel Indurain was the Spaniard in the Tour in 1993 after all, in the special discipline, the time trial to beat. He was second in the overall standings and won the mountains classification. In 1996, Rominger took third place at the World Championships at home in the time trial. In the same year he won at the Olympic Games in Atlanta in the road race in fifth place.
In 1994, Rominger his rival Induráin the hour record from improved and the distance traveled in one hour at the stage Vélodrome de Bordeaux Lac with a special machine to more than 55 kilometers.
After a broken collarbone after a crash in the third stage of the Tour 1997 Tony Rominger ended his career as a professional cyclist.
Doping suspicion
Rominger was never tested positive for doping during his career resources and otherwise transferred not banned doping methods. In the course of the investigation and conviction of the Italian sports doctor Michele Ferrari because of the doping of cyclists with EPO but also the name of Tony Rominger was called. The time then called him Ferraris " important not transferred students next Lance Armstrong ." So to be flown to a Swiss bank account, according to findings from the 2012 money from accounts Romingers sports marketing firm, the Ferrari had access. Rominger stated that the cooperation with Ferrari was limited to the preparation of training plans and denied any doping. David Millar, 1997 teammate of Rominger at Cofidis, reported in his autobiography of a joint meeting in Manchester, attended by Dr. Ferrari was present. In Millar's question, if it was possible professional cycling races could win without EPO, Rominger replied, probably already classics, the Tour de France does not. He is said to have answered: "You can not take three weeks against types that are on EPO. " Rominger in 1993, second in the Tour de France, which he could never win and won the other two three-week national tour Giro d' Italia and Vuelta a España total of four times.
Work and family
After the end of his career in 1997 Rominger also spent time working as a cycling commentator for the TV channel, euro sport, together with Klaus Angermann. After his retirement he worked until 2004 in the international sports agency IMG. He manages some 20 cyclists, including by Matthias Kessler, Patrik Sinkewitz, Andreas Klöden and Alexander Vinokourov; Kessler, Sinkewitz and Vinokourov were transferred in 2007 of doping. Rominger 2004 organized the Tour de Suisse. As a longtime friend and manager, he induced the Strassenradweltmeister 2009 in Mendrisio and eventual winner of the 2011 Tour de France, Cadel Evans to change in 2010 to the BMC Racing Team.
Rominger has married two children from a previous marriage and was since May 18, 2009 with the Swiss singer Francine Jordi and presenter. End of May 2011 it was announced that the two have separated. He is still in Switzerland a star, is reported in detail about his private life in the local tabloids.
In October 2011, became public that Rominger jointly with other Swiss cycling enthusiasts is one of the initiators of a cycling performance center in Solothurn. For this purpose, a foundation was established, which will also apply to host the UCI Road World Championships in 2017.
Awards
- Vélo d'Or 1994
- Swiss Sportsman of the Year (1989, 1992, 1993, 1994)
Success (selection)
- Vuelta a España ( 1992, 1993, 1994)
- Giro d' Italia (1995 )
- Polka Dot jersey Tour de France (1993 )
- Giro di Lombardia ( 1989)
- Tour de Romandie (1991, 1995)
- Paris-Nice (1991, 1994)
- Tirreno- Adriatico (1989, 1990)
Rankings on the "Grand Tours"
DNF = abandoned ( Did not finish)