Vittorio Adorni

Vittorio Adorni (14 November 1937 – 24 December 2022) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist.

Early life and amateur career Adorni was born in San Lazzaro di Parma on 14 November 1937. He was a talented amateur and showed early talent at riding alone. He began racing in 1955 and won the national amateur pursuit championship in 1959. Skill at riding fast alone won him the world professional road championship nine years later.

Adorni won the Trofeo de Gasperiin 1960 and turned professional during 1961 but he nevertheless won the 1965 Giro and the 1968 world road race championship. The championship was on the car race circuit at Imola, Italy. He broke clear with 93 km still to ride. He finished 10 minutes ahead of the field, helped in the peloton by his Italian teammates and also by Eddy Merckx, his normal teammate, who did not take up the chase.

The Cycling Hall of Fame, an American organisation, said: "In 1968, Adorni taught Eddy Merckx of Belgium how to properly eat and rest during a Grand Tour. Merckx used this knowledge to not only win his first grand tour, the Giro d'Italia, but also the mountains and points jerseys as well, the first time ever this was done in a grand tour. Adorni finished second to Merckx in that race."

Retirement Adorni rode as a professional from 1961 In 2001 he joined the management committee of the governing body, the Union Cycliste Internationale.

The former Italian champion was chosen for his personality [était simplement victime de sa personnalité]. As a rider, he was respected by everyone. He was a gentleman. When Hein Verbruggen dug in, Adorni was a patient mediator, a natural negotiator. Thanks to him, the crisis with the organisers of the three grands tours didn't turn into a huge fiasco and he was able to maintain contacts. The world body was responsible for the Pro Tour; Adorni became its conscience. In 2000, he was a recipient of the Silver Olympic Order.

Adorni died in Parma on 24 December 2022, at the age of 85.

Major results Sources:

Track 1958 1st National Track Championship, Individual Pursuit

Road

1960 2nd Giornata della Bicicletta 1961 1st Coppa San Geo 3rd San Daniele Po 10th Giro della Romagna 10th Giro dell'Emilia 1962 1st Stage 4 Giro di Sardegna 2nd Milano–Torino 4th Giro dell'Emilia 5th Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 15 5th Trofeo Baracchi 6th Grand Prix des Nations 7th Trofeo Matteotti 1963 1st Maggiora 1st Tour des Quatre-Cantons 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stages 1 & 16 Held after Stage 18 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège 4th Coppa Agostoni 5th Milan–San Remo 7th Trofeo Baracchi 8th Overall Giro di Sardegna 1st Stages 5 & 6 10th Tre Valli Varesine 1964 1st Overall Giro di Sardegna

2nd Trofeo Baracchi 2nd Antwerpen - Ougrée 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège 3rd Corsa Coppi 4th Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stages 1 & 14 7th Trofeo Laigueglia 7th Coppa Placci 10th Overall Tour de France 1965 1st Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stages 6, 13 & 19 1st Overall Tour de Romandie 1st Stages 1b & 3b 1st Trofeo Città di Borgomanero 1st GP Lugano 2nd Milan–San Remo 2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège 5th Milano–Torino 6th Giro di Lombardia 7th Paris–Roubaix 8th Trofeo Laigueglia 8th Corsa Coppi 1966 1st Overall Tour of Belgium 1st Stage 4 1st Stage 1 Giro di Sardegna 3rd Overall Paris–Nice 6th Giro di Toscana 6th Giro dell'Emilia 7th Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 13 Held after Stages 13 & 14 9th Tour of Flanders 1967 1st Overall Tour de Romandie 1st Coppa Bernocchi 2nd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria 2nd Giro di Campania 2nd GP Forli 3rd Milano–Torino 4th Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 20 5th Overall Giro di Sardegna 5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 10th Milano–Vignola 1968 1st Road race UCI Road World Championships 1st Stage 1 Tirreno–Adriatico 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia 3rd GP Forli 5th Overall Vuelta a España 5th Trofeo Laigueglia 8th Overall À travers Lausanne 1969 1st National Road Race Championship 1st Overall Tour de Suisse 1st Stages 5 & 9 1st Stage 22 Giro d'Italia 1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria 1st GP Alghero 1st Stage 5b Tirreno–Adriatico 2nd Overall Tour de Romandie 1st Stages 2 & 3b 1970 1st Stage 3 Tour de Romandie 4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 10th Overall Giro d'Italia

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish

Honour Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (27 December 2012)