 Pozzovivo at the2012 Tour de Pologne | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Domenico Pozzovivo |
| Nickname | La pulce di Policoro (The flea from Policoro) Il lupo dello Jonio (The wolf of the Ionian) Dom-Dom[1] |
| Born | (1982-11-30)30 November 1982 (age 42) Policoro, Italy |
| Height | 1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)[2] |
| Weight | 53 kg (117 lb; 8 st 5 lb)[2] |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Climber |
| Professional teams | |
| 2005–2012 | Ceramica Panaria–Navigare |
| 2013–2017 | Ag2r–La Mondiale[3] |
| 2018–2019 | Bahrain–Merida[4][5] |
| 2020–2021 | NTT Pro Cycling[6][7] |
| 2022 | Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux[8][9] |
| 2023 | Israel–Premier Tech[10] |
| 2024 | VF Group–Bardiani–CSF–Faizanè[11] |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Domenico Pozzovivo (born 30 November 1982) is an Italian formerroad racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2005 to 2024. His very small stature confers him with the qualities of a pureclimbing specialist. He is most known for a victory in stage 8 of the2012 Giro d'Italia, an overall victory in the2012 Giro del Trentino, and is notable for his educational attainments.[12]
Pozzovivo has a degree in economics and wrote athesis entitled "Southern politics from the unity of Italy up to the present day". His educational attainments have earned him the nickname "Dr. Pozzovivo" in the peloton. He stated that his fields of interest outside cycling are history, technology, economics, politics and weather forecasts.[12] He plays piano and speaks French fluently[13] and stated that a jump into politics would interest him after his cycling career.
In 2008, Pozzovivo finished on the third step of the podium of theGiro del Trentino, which had a race categorization of2.1. The first place went toVincenzo Nibali ofLiquigas whileStefano Garzelli from theAcqua & Sapone–Caffè Mokambo took the second place.[14] He then participated in his thirdGiro d'Italia. While he was not considered a favorite for the overall rankings prior to the race,[15] he managed to finish in ninth position of the general classification.[16] He notably took the second position on thefifteenth stage,[17] a mountain affair finishing atop the Category 1 Passo Fedaia, which was featured for the first time in Giro history. He was bested only by his team-mateEmanuele Sella, who eventually tested positive for theblood boosterMIRCERA and was later disqualified.[18]
In 2009, Pozzovivo took the fifth stage of theSettimana Ciclistica Lombarda, his first major victory since 2004.[19] He also finished second in the general classification of the mountainousBrixia Tour, more than a minute behind the winnerGiampaolo Caruso.[20] He placed in thetop ten of three stages in that race, including third on the second stage, three second in arrears ofLeonardo Bertagnolli.[21]
The 2010 season saw Pozzovivo take a great stage victory in theGiro del Trentino, where he edged a surging from behindRiccardo Riccò ofCeramica Flaminia by 3 seconds.[22] Pozzovivo finally took the third place overall, with the KazakhAlexander Vinokourov ofAstana taking the top honors.[23] Pozzovivo came in second place of the2.1 categorizedGiro dell'Appennino, where he attacked on the daunting Passo della Bocchetta, with onlyRobert Kišerlovski being able to follow him and crest the climb with him. The pair collaborated well to the finish, where Pozzovivo was bested by theLiquigas–Doimo man in the sprint, therefore taking second place.[24] In July, the diminutive Pozzovivo won theBrixia Tour, winning two mountain stages in the process.[25] He prevailed in the overall classification of the five stage race by a margin of one minute and fifty seconds overTeam Sky'sMorris Possoni.[26]
In 2012, Pozzovivo won the prestigiousGiro del Trentino. He was victorious in stage 3 of that race, which led the riders fromPergine toBrenzone sul Garda, finishing after a steep climb, the Punta Veleno. Team cars were not allowed on that climb since it was very steep and the tarmac was inappropriate. Motorbikes were the only resource available for riders suffering a mechanical problem.[27] The victory on that hard stage granted him the leader's jersey, which he managed to hold on to the following day on the fourth and final stage, which was disputed in snowy weather conditions. He finished that stage in third position. He also won the mountains classification jersey.[28]
Later that year, he sailed to victory instage 8 of theGiro d'Italia, attacking on the slopes of theColle Molella, 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) away from the finish. His nearest pursuant, SpaniardBeñat Intxausti ofMovistar Team, completed the stage with a 23 seconds deficit on Pozzovivo.[29] He finished the Giro eighth overall, being always very competitive in the mountain stages. In June, Pozzovivo prevailed in thequeen stage of the2.1 ratedTour of Slovenia, a 219 kilometres (136 mi) course peppered with climbs. Pozzovivo broke away withJanez Brajkovič ofAstana and somewhat surprisingly, beat Brajkovič in the sprint.[30] With that operation, he took the overall classification leader's jersey thanks to a six-second lead over Brajkovič, but lost it the next day in the individual time trial, where Brajkovič bested him by ten seconds. Pozzovivo had to settle for the second place of the Tour.[31]
In the fall, Pozzovivo took part in the Italian ClassicGiro dell'Emilia and launched an attack in the steepest part of the final climb, while he was part of a small leading group of three riders.Nairo Quintana (Movistar Team) resisted in his wheel to place an attack of his own, which would prove to be the decisive move as the Colombian sailed to victory. Pozzovivo was passed by two competitors in the final meters and took the fourth place.[32] Days later, Pozzovivo abandoned during theGiro di Lombardia, a race which suited him well in the past. The cold and heavy rain played a part in this outcome, as none of his Colnago team-mates reached the finish line either.[33]
For the 2013 season, Pozzovivo leftColnago–CSF Bardiani, where he started his professional career back in 2005, and moved toWorld Tour outfitAg2r–La Mondiale.[3] He was looking to repeat his 2012 win in theGiro del Trentino, but he had to withdraw after a crash in stage 3 of the race where he injured his elbow and broke two ribs.[34] Due to this injury, and some unfortunate crashes, he was unable to perform to his best ability in theGiro d'Italia, although he still managed to finish 10th overall, his third top ten in the Giro.
In theVuelta, Pozzovivo was able to return to his best. He was consistently in the top 10 during the mountain stages, and ended up finishing 6th overall, his highest finish thus far in a Grand Tour. He particularly surprised in the Stage 11 Time Trial, a discipline which generally does not suit him, where he finished third behind winnerFabian Cancellara and World Champion time trial champion at the timeTony Martin.[35]
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Pozzovivo took part in theRoma Maxima, where he escaped withAlejandro Valverde. The pair maintained their lead until the bunch caught Pozzovivo metres before the line. Valverde won, while Pozzovivo took fifth place.[36] He finished sixth in theTirreno–Adriatico stage race a week later.
Pozzovivo continued his preparation for his main goal in 2014, theGiro d'Italia, by racing theGiro del Trentino, where he finished second to Cadel Evans.[37] Two days later, he was one of the main protagonists inLiege-Bastogne-Liege, a race he was participating in for the first time. He attacked withJulián Arredondo on the Cote de Roche aux Faucons, and although he was caught, he attacked again withGiampaolo Caruso on the Cote de Saint-Nicolas, and was caught with 200 metres (660 feet) to go, eventually finishing 5th.[38]
Pozzovivo started the Giro well, avoiding any crashes during the wet opening week and attacking on Stage 9 to Sestola, where he finished third on the day behind the breakaway, taking 30 seconds from his rivals and moving into 4th in the General Classification.[39] He also attacked successfully on Stage 14 to Oropa, but fell ill with Bronchitis on the next day, a mountain top finish at Montecampione, losing time to nearly all his rivals.[40] He managed to recover sufficiently during the rest day to win back time on the remaining peloton on the Queen Stage up to Val Martello on Stage 16, afterNairo Quintana,Pierre Rolland andRyder Hesjedal had gone away earlier in the stage. He also managed to move up in the overall standings on both Stages 18 and 19, a mountain-top finish and an uphill time trial.[41] He eventually finished in 5th place, his highest ever finish in the Giro up to that point and his first ever top-5 finish in a Grand Tour.
Pozzovivo did not participate in the Tour de France to focus his efforts on theVuelta a España. However, he had to forget the Spain Grand Tour when he crashed in training, breaking his tibia.[42] Pozzovivo said in an interview that he was able to bicycle before he was able to walk on his way to recovery and that he sent his team an e-mail to the effect that he was ready to come back sooner than expected, at theIl Lombardia race."It's a crazy idea and so it might not be taken into consideration [by the team]. I have suffered and I still suffer physically but I believe that that the head makes the difference."[43] Ultimately, Pozzovivo's return race wasMilano–Torino at the end of 2014 and he did race the Il Lombardia race afterward.[44]
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Pozzovivo started his season in January at Australia'sTour Down Under, despite suffering from a minor wrist fracture. He stated he was aiming for a top 5 Overall.[45] He finally finished sixth in the general classification.[46] In March, he went on to finish eighth overall inTirreno–Adriatico. He grabbed his first victory since 2012 on a stage of theVolta a Catalunya. He was part of a group of seven favorites and he attacked two kilometers from the finish line to win solo on the flat finale, after the race went over several climbs.[47] He finally finished the stage race on the third step of the podium.[48] At the end of April, Pozzovivo participated in the mountainousGiro del Trentino. He lost time on Stage 2, but made up for it by taking the stage victory on Stage 3, distancingRichie Porte andMikel Landa by five seconds after attacking with two kilometers remaining.[49] He finally finished seventh in the general classification of the race.[50] Two days after the Giro del Trentino concluded, Pozzovivo finished eighth ofLiège–Bastogne–Liège as part of the leading group.[51]
Pozzovivo's next objective was theGiro d'Italia, but things got off to a bad start: after losing time on the opening team time trial, he lost more than a minute on the second stage because of a crash.[52] On stage 3, the following day, things took a turn for the worse as he crashed head first on a descent with 35 km (21.7 mi) to go. Shortly afterwards, AG2R reported that he was in a stable state, even though he appeared to be bleeding heavily from his head region on television pictures.[53] On the same night, he passed aCT scan which revealed no brain injury and talked toLa Gazzetta dello Sport: "It was a long night and I even made some plans for the future," said Pozzovivo. "I was in the best condition of my life and I'm thinking about returning at theTour de Suisse and being competitive."[54]
Pozzovivo did return at the Tour de Suisse and registered second place on thequeen stage of the race, a 237.3 km (147.5 mi) affair which finished at the foot of theRettenbach glacier.[55] He finished the event in fifth position in the general classification.[56] He then participated in theNational Road Race Championships where he came in sixth.[57]
For 2018, Pozzovivo signed forBahrain–Merida, beginning his season with theTour Down Under. AT the mountainousTour of the Alps, Pozzovivo took his first podium of the year, finishing in second place overall thanks to continuous top-10 placings during the stages, and second place in best climber jersey as well.[58] The next Sunday, he got fifth atLiège–Bastogne–Liège.[59] He was the team's leader at theGiro d'Italia, finishing fifth in the general classification,[60] came third in theItalian National Road Race Championships,[61] and also raced at theTour de France.
Pozzovivo came second in theTour of Oman,[62] and rode in theGiro d'Italia. On 11 August 2019, Pozzovivo was severely injured after colliding with a car during a training ride. He was "hit head on" by the car and suffered fractures to his right leg, left arm, collarbone, and ribs. According toCycling Weekly, it was doubtful if Pozzovivo would return to racing, considering the severity of his injuries.[63]
For 2020, Pozzovivo signed forNTT Pro Cycling,[64] and began his season in February with theTour de la Provence. He was forced to abandon theTour de France after stage 9 due to another injury to his elbow caused by a crash on the opening stage.[65] He then rode theGiro d'Italia to an eventual 11th place overall.[66] Following the Giro d'Italia, he underwent more surgery on his elbow.[67]
Pozzovivo remained with the now-renamedTeam Qhubeka Assos, beginning his season at theUAE Tour.[68] In theGiro d'Italia, he sustained another injury to his left elbow which forced him to abandon the race after stage 6.[69] He recovered to ride to sixth place in theTour de Suisse,[70] and was as high as third at theVuelta a Burgos but was forced to withdraw with a fractured knee.[71] Due to financial troubles, the team disbanded at the end of 2021, having failed to secure sufficient sponsorship for aUCI WorldTeam licence, and Pozzovivo was left without a team and contemplating retirement.[72]
Pozzovivo joined theIntermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux team midway through February,[73] making his first start at theVuelta a Andalucía.[74] He finished in the top-ten overall at theGiro d'Italia and theTour de Suisse.[75][76]
OverallBrixia Tour
OverallGiro del Trentino
Mountains classification Mountains classification| Grand Tour general classification results | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Grand Tour | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro d'Italia | DNF | — | 17 | 9 | — | DNF | DNF | 8 | 10 | 5 | DNF | 20 | 6 | 5 | 19 | 11 | DNF | 8 | DNF | 20 | |
 Tour de France | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | 18 | — | DNF | — | — | — | ||
 / Vuelta a España | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 6 | — | 11 | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | DNF | — | ||
| Major stage race general classification results | |||||||||||||||||||||
| Race | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | |
| Paris–Nice | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | |
 / Tirreno–Adriatico | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — | 11 | 11 | 6 | 8 | 32 | 10 | 14 | — | — | 28 | 13 | — | 31 | |
 Volta a Catalunya | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 25 | 8 | 3 | 17 | — | — | — | NH | — | — | — | — | |
| Tour of the Basque Country | Has not contested during his career | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Tour de Romandie | |||||||||||||||||||||
 Critérium du Dauphiné | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | ||
| Tour de Suisse | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNF | DNF | 5 | — | 4 | — | 7 | NH | 6 | 9 | — | ||
| Monument | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan–San Remo | 163 | — | — | — | — | 73 | 101 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tour of Flanders | Has not contested during his career | |||||||||||||||||
| Paris–Roubaix | ||||||||||||||||||
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 5 | 8 | 63 | 12 | 5 | — | — | 60 | 26 |
| Giro di Lombardia | 49 | 54 | 30 | 22 | — | DNF | 6 | DNF | 15 | 85 | 19 | 37 | 6 | 8 | — | — | 30 | |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
| NH | Not held |
