Eros Poli

Eros Poli had a great amateur cycling career in races against the clock. At the age of 21 he won the gold medal in the 100 km team time trial at the Los Angeles Olympics After a third place in the 1985 World Championships, and a second in 1986, Poli won the 100 km team time trial at the Worlds in Villach, ahead of the Soviet Union and Austria teams.

Poli turned professional in 1991 with the Del Tongo team. He moved on to GB-MG Boys in 1992-93, and later rode for Mercatone Uno (1994-95), Saeco (1996), Gan (1997), before ending his career with Crédit Agricole (1998-99). The pinnacle of his pro career was victory on the fifteenth stage of the 1994 Tour de France from Montpellier to Carpentras, which climbed Mont Ventoux, where the famous British rider Tom Simpson lost his life in the 1967 Tour.

On the occasion of Poli’s stage win, the riders had to endure temperatures of around 40 celsius. He had built up a 25-minute lead at the foot of Ventoux but had some imposing riders like Miguel Indurain and Marco Pantani behind him. He held on to win the stage by three minutes, however, despite not being known as a prolific climber.

Poli participated in six Tours, four Giros d’Italia, and two Vueltas a Espana. After his competitive career, he managed his own bar for a few years in Piazza delle Erbe in Verona, and then for seven years was involved in the world of cycling again, playing a welcoming role on the Tour de France, thanks to his good English and French. In the 2000s, he accompanied tourists and VIP guests on cycle rides all over the world.