Tony Rominger

Tony Rominger (Vejle, Denmark, March 27, 1961) is a Swiss ex-cyclist. He is the winner of three Vueltas a España and one Giro d'Italia, among a total of 92 victories. He was one of Miguel Induráin's biggest rivals, he stood out as a great climber and no less a good time trialist.

Biography

Early Years

Tony was born to a Swiss father and a Danish mother in Vejle Denmark, but emigrated at the age of 13 with his parents to the Swiss country in 1974, specifically to the town of Zug.

He started cycling at a late age, so he would not debut as a professional until 1986, at the age of 26, with the Swiss team Cilo-Aufina.

Professional Cycling

Early Years: Debut and Progression

1986: debut as a professional

He made his professional debut in 1986, in the ranks of Cilo-Aufina. The squad was Swiss, as was its main sponsor (bike manufacturer Cilo) and Rominger himself.

1987: beginnings with Ferrari and first victory

For his second season he moved to Brianzoli-Chateau managed by Giuanluigi Stanga. That year marked the beginning of his relationship with Dr. Michele Ferrari, at that time the squad doctor.He coincided in the team with cyclists like Francesco Moser.

He won the Giro Reggio Calabria, as well as several places of honor in top-level races such as Tirreno-Adriatico.

1988: stages in Romandie and Giro

His first victory of the year came on a stage of the Tour of the Mediterranean.

His best wins that year came in the spring, when he won a stage in the Tour de Romandie and another in the Giro d'Italia. Before the Giro he also won a stage in the Giro del Trentino.

In the final part of the season he won the Giro d'Emilia and the Florence-Pistoia. He got a good place in the Zurich Championship.

Consolidation in one-week rounds

1989: Tirreno Adriatico and Lombardy

Won the Tour of the Mediterranean.

Won Tirreno-Adriatico.

He won the Giro de Lombardia, one of the five great classics considered monuments of cycling. Rominger broke away at the start of the tough ascent of Valcava (near Lake Como and in thick fog) and completed a 113-kilometre breakaway to reach the finish line in Milan alone, in what was described as an exhibition. The Swiss, the first from his country to win the Lombard race, based his triumph on unusual courage and his skills as a roller, also benefiting from the fact that favorites such as Laurent Fignon and Charly Mottet focused on his particular struggle to finish the season in the first position of the FICP Ranking. With his victory in the last big race of the cycling season, known as the classic of the dead leaves, he achieved his biggest victory so far. Said result also helped him to finish second (behind Sean Kelly at the time) in the World Cup, a competition that had been launched that year and which scored the results obtained by the cyclists in the twelve best classics of the season (the five monuments included).

1990: Tirreno-Adriatico, second time

His first win of the year was a stage in the Tour of the Mediterranean.

In March he won the Tirreno-Adriatico for the second consecutive year, a race in which he also won a stage. With the PDM of Sean Kelly and Erik Breukink as his main rival a priori , the round began with an atypical team prologue. Rominger won the first stage in a row, reaching Maiori alone, in a victory that also helped him place himself in front of the general classification with almost two minutes ahead of the rest. the time trial the following day increased the lead over his rivals with a second place. He maintained his lead without problems and his more than two-minute advantage in the following stages, including the mountainous stage of Monte Urano. The race closed with a coastal time trial in San Benedetto del Tronto in which Rominger, without being a specialist (he was eleventh), in fact increased his lead over those who would accompany him on the final podium, thus culminating his second consecutive victory in the first race with a large lead of the Italian calendar.

With Gianni Bugno to San Remo. Bugno won.

A stage of the Dauphiné Libéré. Shortly after he was third in the Swiss Road Championships, thus achieving the bronze medal.

1991: ruler of Paris-Nice and Romandie

In 1991 he signed for the Toshiba team.

He won the Paris-Nice race, which he dominated, also winning four stages. Later he won the Tour de Romandie, where he also obtained two stage wins.

He also won the Florence-Pistoia, the Nations Grand Prix and the Baracchi Trophy, thus reaching a total of ten wins that season.

The glorious years in CLAS and Mapei

1992: first Tour, Lombardy and the Basque Country

But his big explosion came in 1992: Rominger won his first Tour of Spain that year, among 13 other victories, now with the colors of the Asturian CLAS-Cajastur team. It is worth noting his successes in the Tour of the Basque Country and in the Giro de Lombardy (for the second time). He became an idol in Asturias.

Rominger, in full ascension to the High of Orange, during the return to Spain 1993.

1993: second Tour and alternative to Induráin

He didn't slow down in 1993, since in addition to his second victory in the Vuelta, he made his debut in the Tour de France, where he won three stages and finished second overall behind Miguel Induráin. He also takes his second Tour of the Basque Country. That year and the following marked the high point of Rominger's career, which in 1994 reached the spectacular figure of 20 victories.

1994: third Lap and double hour record

Rominger won his third consecutive Tour of Spain (plus six stage wins, the Regularity and the Mountain), and curiously also his third Tour of the Basque Country in the same way. He went to the Tour as a favourite, but had physical complications that made him drop out. After that disappointment, he went to Dr. Michele Ferrari's clinic in Ferrara in August to begin his preparations for the assault on the hour record, held by Miguel Induráin.

During the months of October and November, he broke the hour record twice at the Bordeaux velodrome (France). The first served to snatch it from his great rival Miguel Induráin, surpassing him by almost 800 meters, The second was a great leap and left the mark in more than 55 kilometers. Dr. Ferrari was postulated as decisive for the marks of his pupil, He held the record for two years until the Englishman Chris Boardman surpassed him. It was from the English record when the UCI decided to only allow brands with conventional bikes, leaving Rominger's brand relegated to the category of "Best human effort" according to the ICU.

In addition, that year both he and his teammate Franco Ballerini were found to have traces of salbutamol in two anti-doping controls, although both were acquitted without penalty as they were considered to be for "therapeutic use".

1995: Romandie and a Giro d'Italia "against" the Gewiss

In 1995, without CLAS as sponsor of the team (with Mapei), he obtained one of the most important victories of his record, the Giro d'Italia. Despite everything, a certain decline in the runner's performance began to be noticed, who won 12 races in total.

Decline and retreat

1996: third in the Vuelta and goodbye to Mapei

Declination that was confirmed in 1996, although it was not a bad year for Rominger, who won two stages in the Vuelta (3rd in the final overall) and obtained five more victories, as well as a bronze in the CRI World Championship.

1997: Cofidis, a winless finish

But 1997 is when the Swiss cyclist's career came down definitively, as he was unable to achieve a single victory in the Cofidis team for the first time in eleven years.

Tony Rominger retired from professional cycling at the end of that season.

After withdrawal

After his retirement he became an agent for cyclists like Andreas Klöden. His friend and former agent Marc Biver took the reins of Astana (heir to the ONCE/Liberty Seguros/Astana structure of Manolo Saiz) for 2007, and although despite initial rumors Rominger did not join as sports director, his client Klöden he did sign for said team (in what Rominger himself would later describe as a mistake).

Private life

His wife, Brigitte, was a professional cyclist. He is the father of two children: Rahel and Robin.

Honours of Prizes

Results

During his racing career he achieved the following places in Grand Tours, minor tours and one-day races:

Grand Tours

Minor turns

Classics, Championships and JJ. oh.

Race		1984	1985	1986	1987	1988	1989	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997
	Milan-San Remo	-	-	55.o	91.o	47.	76.o	-	-	-	19.	42.	-	-	71.o
	Tour de Flandes	-	-	-	50.o	-	-	30.o	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Flecha Valona		-	-	-	-	-	-	18.	22.	-	-	-	-	-	63.o
	Liège-Bastoña-Lieja	-	-	24.	-	-	18.	-	65.o	5.o	2.	6.o	28.o	-	60.o
Classic San Sebastian		-	-	-	-	-	3.o	4.o	38.	-	23.	-	-	-	-
Zurich Championship		-	-	-	-	3.o	7.	-	51.o	67.o	-	-	-	56.o	-
Paris-Tours		-	-	64.o	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Giro de Lombardy	-	-	-	-	5.o	1.o	-	15.	1.o	-	-	-	48.	-
JJOO. (CRI)		-	Not disputed			-	Not disputed			-	Not disputed			5.o	-
World on Route		-	-	-	Ab.	Ab.	14.o	56.o	Ab.	4.o	-	-	-	9.	Ab.
Global Contrary		X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	X	-	-	3.o	4.o

—: Does not participate
Ab.: Abandon
X: Uncelebrated editions

Awards and recognitions

• Gold Bike (1994).
• 2.o post at the Golden Bike (1992).
• 3rd place in the Golden Bike (1993).
• Mendrisio de Oro (1989 and 1994).

Teams

• Cylo-Aufina (1986)
• Château d'Ax (1987-1990)
  • Brianzoli-Chateau d'Ax (1987)
  • Chateau d'Ax (1988-1990)
• Toshiba (1991)
• CLAS (1992-1993)
• Mapei (1994-1996)
  • Mapei-CLAS (1994)
  • Mapei (1995-1996)
• Cofidis (1997)