Wikipedia

Davide Cimolai

Davide Cimolai (born 13 August 1989) is an Italian former professional road and track bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2010 and 2025 for six different professional teams.

Davide Cimolai
Cimolai at the 2019 Tour of Britain
Personal information
Full nameDavide Cimolai
NicknameCimo
Born (1989-08-13) 13 August 1989 (age 36)
Pordenone, Italy
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight70 kg (150 lb)
Team information
Disciplines
  • Road
  • Track
RoleRider
Rider type
  • Sprinter
  • Lead-out man
Amateur team
2008–2009Marchiol–Liquigas–Site
Professional teams
2010–2011Liquigas–Doimo
2012–2016Lampre–ISD
2017–2018FDJ
2019–2021Israel Cycling Academy[1][2][3]
2022–2023Cofidis[4]
2024–2025Movistar Team[5]
Major wins
One-day races and Classics
Trofeo Laigueglia (2015)
Medal record
Representing  Italy
Men's track cycling
UEC European Under-23 Championships
Gold medal – first place2011 AnadiaScratch
Silver medal – second place2011 AnadiaMadison
Bronze medal – third place2008 PruszkówTeam pursuit

During his career, Cimolai took a total of nine victories, including the general classification and two stages at the 2019 Vuelta a Castilla y León, two stage victories at the Volta a Catalunya in 2016 and 2017, and a stage win at the 2015 Paris–Nice. He also operated as a lead-out rider for sprinters such as André Greipel, Bryan Coquard and Fernando Gaviria.

Career

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Born in Pordenone, Cimolai turned professional for the 2010 season,[6] competing for the Liquigas–Doimo team until the end of 2011, recording a best individual finish of second place on a stage of the 2011 Tour of Turkey. During the 2011 season, Cimolai also won two medals at the UEC European Under-23 Track Championships: a gold medal in the scratch, and a silver medal in the madison with teammate Elia Viviani.

Lampre–ISD (2012–2016)

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Cimolai joined the Lampre–ISD squad for the 2012 season.[7] Cimolai made his Grand Tour début at that year's Vuelta a España, where he was the Lampre–ISD team's main sprinter in a climber-stacked squad; he finished inside the top ten of a stage for the first time, when he placed seventh on the second stage.[8][9] He took his first podium finish with the team at the 2013 Trofeo Platja de Muro, held as part of the Vuelta a Mallorca one-day races, being outsprinted by Leigh Howard and Maarten Wynants.[10] Towards the end of the season, Cimolai recorded top-five finishes at the Brussels Cycling Classic (fifth) and the Grand Prix de Fourmies (fourth).[11][12] He recorded one top-ten finish in 2014, finishing seventh at the Vattenfall Cyclassics,[13] but he was part of Sacha Modolo's sprint train,[14] when Modolo won two stages at the Three Days of De Panne in the spring.

Cimolai's first two professional wins came in 2015. He won the Trofeo Laigueglia one-day race in February, winning a group of sprint of some twenty-five riders in Laigueglia.[15] A month later, Cimolai took his first victory at UCI World Tour level when he won the fifth stage of Paris–Nice, denying a late solo attack from Thomas De Gendt with a sprint win in Rasteau.[16] He finished as part of the front group the following week at Milan–San Remo,[17] in eighth place – recording his best finish at a cycling monument. Cimolai's first win of the 2016 season – and the first win for Lampre–Merida – came during the penultimate stage of March's Volta a Catalunya, winning a bunch sprint into Vilanova i la Geltrú.[18] He later recorded a second victory,[19] when he won the second stage of the Tour of Japan in Kyoto.

FDJ (2017–2018)

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After five years with Lampre–Merida, Cimolai joined FDJ for the 2017 season to form part of the sprint train for the team's main sprinter, Arnaud Démare.[19] Cimolai made his first start with the team at Étoile de Bessèges, where he helped Démare win two stages at the race.[20] Cimolai's first win with the team came at the Volta a Catalunya, where he won the opening stage of the race in Calella, prevailing in the bunch sprint ahead of Nacer Bouhanni.[21] He ceded the race lead after the following day's team time trial, as FDJ finished more than one-and-a-half minutes behind the Movistar Team.[22] At the Tour de France, Cimolai was the final lead-out man for Démare in the sprint, as Démare won the fourth stage into Vittel.[23] The following year, Cimolai's best result – fifth place – came in the road race of the UEC European Road Championships in Glasgow; he was one of two Italian riders that were part of a lead group that formed in the closing stages of the race, and he successfully led out Matteo Trentin in the final sprint for the gold medal.[24]

Israel Cycling Academy (2019–2021)

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Cimolai (second from right) during the sprint on the final stage of the 2019 Tour of Britain in Manchester

Cimolai joined UCI Professional Continental team Israel Cycling Academy for the 2019 season, as part of their sprint setup.[25] He came close to his first win with the team at March's Tirreno–Adriatico, when he finished second to Julian Alaphilippe on a slightly uphill finish in Jesi.[26] The following month, Cimolai ultimately took his first wins with the team at the Vuelta a Castilla y León; he won each of the first two stages of the race – the first of which after Carlos Barbero was relegated – and finished eighth on the final stage, as he won the general classification ahead of teammate Guillaume Boivin.[27][28][29] After a fourth-place finish at the Eschborn–Frankfurt one-day race,[30] Cimolai made his début at the Giro d'Italia, but his best stage result was fifth place.[31] He then won the fourth stage of the Tour de Wallonie into Verviers in July,[32] before recording eight top-five sprint finish results across the Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine (two) and the Tour of Britain (on six out of the eight stages). He formed part of the Italian team that contested the road race at the UCI Road World Championships in Yorkshire, but failed to finish.[33]

Cimolai's 2020 season resulted in no top-three placings; he rode the Giro d'Italia for the second year in a row, finishing fifth on the sixth stage into Matera,[34] while he formed part of the breakaway group on the penultimate stage. At the 2021 Giro d'Italia, Cimolai finished second to Peter Sagan in the points classification, but failed to win any stages – his best results were a pair of second places on stages three (behind Taco van der Hoorn) and seven (behind Caleb Ewan).[35][36] He also rode the Vuelta a España, but abandoned the race during the eighth stage.

Cofidis and Movistar Team (2022–2025)

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Cimolai joined Cofidis for the 2022 season, having signed a two-year contract with the team.[37] Over those two seasons, he failed to record any top-three results – often being used as a lead-out rider for the team's main sprinter Bryan Coquard[38] – and his highest one-day placing was a ninth-place finish at the 2023 Paris–Bourges, just behind Coquard.[39] As a result, Cofidis elected not to renew his contract, and as a consequence, Cimolai was close to retiring from the sport.[40]

He ultimately joined the Movistar Team for the 2024 season on an initial one-year contract, signing as a lead-out rider for Fernando Gaviria.[40] Before linking up with Gaviria, Cimolai took two high placings in early-season Spanish races with fourth at the Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana 1969 and sixth at the Trofeo Ses Salines–Felanitx.[41][42] He finished third on the final stage of Tirreno–Adriatico in March,[43] before placing second to Caleb Ewan at July's Vuelta a Castilla y León.[44] Cimolai remained with the team into 2025, as he signed a one-year contract extension in October 2024.[45] Both Cimolai and Gaviria were winless in 2025, with Cimolai encountering health problems, resulting in hospitalisation and the near-amputation of his arm; he ultimately retired at the end of the season.[46]

Personal life

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In 2018, Cimolai married his partner Greta Rover after five years together; however, the couple separated the following year.[47][48] With partner Alessia, Cimolai is the father of two daughters.[46] He operates a cycling coaching and bike fitting studio in Cordignano, which he set up following his retirement.[49]

In 2021, Cimolai disclosed that he had an eating disorder during the early part of his professional career, and that he had "threw away two to three years of my career".[48]

Major results

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Cimolai took his first victory at UCI World Tour level, when he won the fifth stage of the 2015 Paris–Nice

Source: [50]

2005
2nd Time trial, National Novice Road Championships
2006
National Junior Track Championships
2nd Madison (with Davide Calligaro)
3rd Individual pursuit
3rd Team pursuit
2007
1st Giro Ciclistico della Bassa Friulana
1st Gran Premio Ormesani
1st Medaglia d'oro Sportivi Castione
1st Giro della Romagna
1st GP R.E.M. Crema
1st Giro Delle Conche
1st Trofeo Orogildo
National Junior Track Championships
2nd Individual pursuit
2nd Points race
2nd Team sprint
2008
National Track Championships
1st Omnium
1st Team pursuit
3rd Individual pursuit
1st Piccolo Giro d'Emilia
1st Tre Giorni Citta di Pordenone
2nd UIV CUP Fiorenzuola
3rd Team pursuit, UEC European Under-23 Track Championships
2009
National Track Championships
1st Scratch
1st Team pursuit
2nd Points race
3rd Individual pursuit
3rd Omnium
1st Coppa San Geo
1st Trofeo Franco Balestra
1st Trofeo Banca Popolare di Vicenza
2nd Trofeo Marco Rusconi
2nd Medaglia d'Oro Fiera di Sommacampagna
3rd Medaglia d'Oro Frare De Nardi
3rd Memorial Danilo Furlan
3rd La Popolarissima
4th Giro Nazionale del Valdarno
5th Circuito Internazionale di Caneva
5th GP De Nardi
7th Trofeo Edil C
2010
National Track Championships
1st Points race
3rd Team pursuit
1st Stage 1b (TTT) Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
4th Circuito de Getxo
9th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
2011
UEC European Under-23 Track Championships
1st Scratch
2nd Madison (with Elia Viviani)
National Track Championships
1st Scratch
1st Madison (with Elia Viviani)
2nd Team pursuit
6th GP Kranj
2012
9th Overall Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
2013
3rd Trofeo Platja de Muro
4th Grand Prix de Fourmies
5th Brussels Cycling Classic
2014
7th Vattenfall Cyclassics
2015
1st Trofeo Laigueglia
1st Stage 5 Paris–Nice
8th Milan–San Remo
2016
1st Stage 6 Volta a Catalunya
1st Stage 2 Tour of Japan
2017
1st Stage 1 Volta a Catalunya
5th La Roue Tourangelle
2018
5th Road race, UEC European Road Championships
6th Paris–Camembert
2019
1st Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
1st Points classification
1st Stages 1 & 2
1st Stage 3 Tour de Wallonie
4th Eschborn–Frankfurt
6th Coppa Sabatini
10th Trofeo Laigueglia
2023
9th Paris–Bourges
2024
2nd Vuelta a Castilla y León
4th Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana 1969
6th Trofeo Ses Salines–Felanitx

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

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Grand Tour 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
A pink jersey Giro d'Italia — — — — — — — 130 118 127 135 DNF 134
A yellow jersey Tour de France — 137 163 155 168 152 — — — — — — —
A red jersey Vuelta a España 163 — — — — — — — — DNF — 146 —
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

References

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  1. ↑ "Israel Cycling Academy finalises 2019 roster, adds Sorensen as DS". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
  2. ↑ Ostanek, Dani (11 December 2019). "Israel Cycling Academy become Israel Start-Up Nation as WorldTour beckons". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. ↑ "Israel Start-Up Nation". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Cofidis". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  5. ↑ "Movistar Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  6. ↑ Brown, Gregor (1 October 2009). "Liquigas confirms young talent for 2010 roster". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  7. ↑ Van Eyck, Xylon (5 November 2011). "Davide Cimolai bolsters Lampre-ISD sprint train". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  8. ↑ Atkins, Ben (19 August 2012). "John Degenkolb takes stage two in tight, uphill sprint". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  9. ↑ Westemeyer, Susan (19 August 2012). "Degenkolb sprints to Vuelta a Espana stage 2 win". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Archived from the original on 20 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "Howard strikes again at Challenge Mallorca". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 6 February 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  11. ↑ "Greipel triumphs at Brussels Cycling Classic". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 7 September 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  12. ↑ "Bouhanni sprints to victory at GP de Fourmies". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 8 September 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  13. ↑ "Vattenfall Cyclassics: Alexander Kristoff wins as Mark Cavendish has to settle for fifth". Sky Sports. Sky UK. 24 August 2014. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  14. ↑ Ryan, Barry (2 April 2014). "Modolo hopes De Panne win augurs well for Classics future". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 21 June 2026. Davide Cimolai covered me and then Max Richeze rode as my last man.
  15. ↑ Farrand, Stephen (19 February 2015). "Davide Cimolai wins Trofeo Laigueglia". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  16. ↑ Wynn, Nigel (13 March 2015). "Davide Cimolai wins Paris-Nice stage five". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  17. ↑ Windsor, Richard (22 March 2015). "John Degenkolb wins the 2015 Milan-San Remo". Cycling Weekly. Time Inc. UK. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  18. ↑ Pavitt, Michael (26 March 2016). "Cimolai sprints to stage six victory at Volta a Catalunya". Inside the Games. Dunsar Media. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  19. 1 2 "FDJ sign Cimolai to support Demare". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 2 October 2016. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  20. ↑ Di Maio, Giulia (10 February 2017). "Cimolai. «Stagione con vista sull'azzurro»" [Cimolai. "A season with a view of the blue"]. TuttoBici (in Italian). Prima Pagina Edizioni s.r.l. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  21. ↑ "Volta a Catalunya: Davide Cimolai wins opening stage in sprint finish". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 March 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  22. ↑ "Volta a Catalunya: Chris Froome loses time to Alejandro Valverde on stage two". BBC Sport. BBC. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  23. ↑ Decaluwé, Brecht (4 July 2017). "Tour de France: Demare in pole position for green jersey". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved 21 June 2026. Davide Cimolai moved up well and he replaced him at the last minute.
  24. ↑ "Matteo Trentin is the new European champion". Union Européenne de Cyclisme. 12 August 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  25. ↑ "Israel Cycling Academy sign Davide Cimolai from Groupama-FDJ". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 7 November 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  26. ↑ Ballinger, Alex (18 March 2019). "Julian Alaphilippe stuns sprinters to win stage six bunch finish in Tirreno-Adriatico 2019". Cycling Weekly. TI Media. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  27. ↑ "Cimolai wins opening stage of Vuelta a Castilla y Leon". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  28. ↑ "Vuelta a Castilla y Leon: Cimolai doubles up with stage 2 win". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 26 April 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  29. ↑ "Cimolai wins Vuelta a Castilla y Leon". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 27 April 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  30. ↑ Ballinger, Alex (1 May 2019). "Pascal Ackermann takes home glory at Eschborn-Frankfurt 2019". Cycling Weekly. TI Media. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  31. ↑ Puddicombe, Stephen (3 June 2019). "Giro d'Italia 2019 ratings: How did each team perform?". Cycling Weekly. TI Media. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  32. ↑ "Cimolai wins stage 3 in Wallonie". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 29 July 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  33. ↑ "World Championships: Mads Pedersen wins elite men's rainbow jersey". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 29 September 2019. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  34. ↑ "Ciclismo, Giro d'Italia: è Démare a trionfare a Matera in volata" [Cycling, Giro d'Italia: Démare triumphs in Matera sprint finish]. Sport Mediaset (in Italian). Mediaset. 8 October 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2026. Quinto Davide Cimolai. [Davide Cimolai fifth.]
  35. ↑ Puddicombe, Stephen (10 May 2021). "Giro d'Italia: Van der Hoorn takes Intermarché's first win on stage 3". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 21 June 2026. Davide Cimolai (Israel Start-Up Nation) won the sprint from a reduced bunch for second ahead of Peter Sagan [...]
  36. ↑ "Giro d'Italia, Ewan vince la tappa di Termoli, Valter in rosa" [Giro d'Italia: Ewan wins the stage in Termoli, Valter in pink]. Sky Sport (in Italian). Sky Italia. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  37. ↑ "Saison 2022-2023 Davide Cimolai, un coureur d'expérience chez Cofidis" [2022-2023 season: Davide Cimolai, an experienced rider at Cofidis]. Cofidis (in French). Cofidis Compétition EUSRL. 16 August 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  38. ↑ "Intenable Bryan Coquard !" [Bryan Coquard is unstoppable!]. Cofidis (in French). Cofidis Compétition EUSRL. 4 April 2023. Retrieved 21 June 2026. Parfaitement emmené par Davide Cimolai [...] [Perfectly positioned by Davide Cimolai [...]]
  39. ↑ Congourdeau, Cédric (5 October 2023). "Paris-Bourges : Classement" [Paris-Bourges: Standings]. Directvelo (in French). Association Le Peloton. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  40. 1 2 Ryan, Barry (2 December 2023). "Cimolai ditches retirement plans to join Movistar as Gaviria's lead-out man". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  41. ↑ "Dylan Groenewegen sprints to Clàssica Comunitat Valenciana victory". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 20 January 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  42. ↑ "-Clasificaciones- Trofeo Ses Salines-Felanitx, 181,2-Kms" [-Classifications- Trofeo Ses Salines-Felanitx, 181,2-Kms.] (PDF). Edosof Timing Systems (in Spanish). 25 January 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  43. ↑ Farrand, Stephen (10 March 2024). "Tirreno-Adriatico: Vingegaard claims overall as Milan wins stage 7 sprint". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  44. ↑ Frattini, Kirsten (23 July 2024). "Caleb Ewan sprints to Vuelta a Castilla y Leon victory". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  45. ↑ "Albert Torres and Davide Cimolai re-sign through 2025". Movistar Team. Abarca Sports. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  46. 1 2 Lorenzon, Filippo (30 November 2025). "And Cimolai is also saying goodbye. It's been a tough year, but there are so many projects in mind". Bici.pro. Chilometro 165 srl. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  47. ↑ "Ciclismo, tempo di... matrimoni: Dumoulin, Cimolai e Battaglin sposi" [Cycling, time for... weddings: Dumoulin, Cimolai, and Battaglin get married]. La Gazzetta dello Sport (in Italian). RCS MediaGroup. 26 October 2018. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  48. 1 2 Long, Jonny (15 February 2021). "'Old mentality' in cycling still contributing to disordered eating, says Davide Cimolai". Cycling Weekly. Future plc. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  49. ↑ Terraneo, Davide (10 January 2026). "Esclusiva – Davide Cimolai: "Oggi da corridore non ti diverti più. Ho ancora un messaggio di Greipel salvato nel cellulare"" [Exclusive – Davide Cimolai: "Today, you're no longer having fun as a runner. I still have a message from Greipel saved on my phone."]. SpazioCiclismo – CyclingPro.net (in Italian). Antoine Plouvin SARL. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
  50. ↑ "Davide Cimolai". FirstCycling.com. FirstCycling AS. Retrieved 21 June 2026.
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