Jeannie Longo

Jeannie Longo (born 31 October 1958) is a French racing cyclist, 6-time French champion and 13-time world champion. Longo began racing in 1975 and was active in cycling through 2012. She was once widely considered the best female cyclist of all time, although that reputation is now clouded by suspicion of doping throughout her career.

Longo is famous for her competitive nature and her longevity in the sport – when she was selected to compete for France in the 2008 Olympics, it was her seventh Olympic Games; some of Longo's competitors that year had not yet been born when she took part in her first Olympics in 1984. She had stated that 2008 would be her final participation in the Olympics. In the Women's road race, she finished 24th, 33 seconds behind the winner Nicole Cooke, who was one year old when Longo first rode in the Olympics. At the same Olympics, she finished 4th in the road time trial, just two seconds shy of securing a bronze medal.

Longo is currently number two on the all-time list of French female summer or winter Olympic medal winners, with a total of four medals, including one in gold, which is one less than the total number won by the fencer Laura Flessel-Colovic.

Early life

Longo was born in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, in the French Alps .

Career Longo began her athletic career as a downhill skier. After winning the French schools' ski championship and three university skiing championships, she switched to cycling at the urging of her coach (and later husband) Patrice Ciprelli. Within a few months, Longo won the French road race Championship at the age of 21. She competed both in road and track bicycle racing events, and is an Olympic gold medalist and thirteen-time world champion.

Doping affairs In September 1987, Longo tested positive for ephedrine following a 3 km world record attempt in Colorado Springs. She served a 1-month ban for this offence.

In September 2011, it was reported that Longo had missed three doping tests and was under investigation by the FFC. Normally, this would be penalized the same as a positive test, but since the French Anti-Doping Agency had failed to notify Longo that she would be targeted for testing in that year, no further action was taken. It subsequently was revealed that Longo's husband, Patrice Ciprelli, had purchased the performance-enhancing drug EPO from China via former American professional cyclist Joe Papp. Ciprelli confessed and claimed that he purchased the EPO for his own personal use. He was found guilty in May 2016, and given a 1-year suspended jail sentence and €12,800 in fines and costs.

Palmarès Track

Note: Beginning in 1997, the Union Cycliste Internationale awarded points to riders based on their performances. For this purpose, the races were classified. Although the system has evolved, the major stage races are category 1 (strongest) and 2. In the listings below, these categories, where known, are in parentheses. GC stands for general classification.

1981 3rd UCI Track World Championship (Individual pursuit) 1982 3rd UCI Track World Championship (Individual pursuit) 1983 2nd Summer Universiade Track Championship (Individual pursuit) 3rd UCI Track World Championship (Individual pursuit) 1984 2nd UCI Track World Championship (Individual pursuit) 1985 2nd UCI Track World Championship (Individual pursuit) 1986

1987 2nd UCI Track World Championship (Individual pursuit) 1988

1989

1998

Mountainbike 1993 2nd UCI Mountain Bike Championship

Road

1979

1980

1981

2nd World Road Race Championships 1982

1983

3rd Summer Universiade Road Race Championship 1984

1985

1st Coors Classic 1986

1st Coors Classic 1987

1st Coors Classic 1988

1989

1992 2nd Olympic Road Race

1993 2nd World Road Race Championships 1995

1st Overall Emakumeen Bira 1996 1st Olympic Road Race 1997

1st Grand Prix des Nations Time Trial 1st Overall Trophée d'Or Féminin 2 Stage victories 1st Overall Tour du Canton de Conques 2 Stage victories 2nd Overall Vuelta a Majorca 1 Stage victory 3rd Overall Interreg-Dreilaender Damen Tour 3rd Overall Trois Jours de Vendee 7th UCI Points list 1998

1st 1 Stage Trois Jours de Vendee 1st Mt. Evans Hill Climb (course record) 2nd Montreal World Cup 3rd French Road CCT 3rd Overall Trophée d'Or Féminin 3rd Overall Canberra Cycling Classic (Tour de Snowy) 1 Stage victory 3rd Overall Tour of Aquitaine 1 Stage victory 4th Overall Women's Challenge 5th World Time Trial Championships 9th World Road Race Championships 10th UCI Points list 2000 1st Mount Washington Auto Road Bicycle Hillclimb (Course record) 3rd Olympic Time Trial 2001

3rd World Road Race Championships 9th Overall Grande Boucle Féminine 5th Overall Women's Challenge 1st Mountains classification 1 Stage victory 6th Montréal World Cup 6th Grand prix de Haute-Garonne 2002 3rd Chrono Champenois-Trophée Européen 7th World Time Trial Championships 2003 6th World Time Trial Championship 6th World Road Race Championship 2004 10th Olympic Games Road Race

2005 2nd Chrono Champenois

2007 7th World Time Trial Championship 2008

1st Mt. Evans Hill Climb 4th Olympic Games Time Trial 2009 1st Trophée des Grimpeurs, women's.

1st Chrono des Nations 3rd Overall Fitchburg Longsjo Classic 2010

1st Chrono des Nations 3rd French National Road Race Championship 2011 1st Pikes Peak Hillclimb