Tony Rominger (born 27 March 1961) is a Swiss former professional road racing cyclist who won the Vuelta a España in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and the Giro d'Italia in 1995.
Career Rominger grew up in Menzingen in the canton of Zug, but began cycling late, spurred by competition with his younger brother, Lars, and gained his first professional victory at the age of 23 years-old.
Rominger's strengths were time-trialling, climbing and recuperation. Rominger displayed his aptitude for stage races by winning back-to-back at the 1989 and 1990 Tirreno–Adriatico, and by winning the 1991 Paris-Nice. In one-day races, Rominger rode solo for over 100 kilometres to win the 1989 Giro di Lombardia, and placed second overall to Sean Kelly in the 1989 UCI Road World Cup standings.
Rominger secured three consecutive wins in the Vuelta a España between 1992 and 1994, a record at the time, which included the record for the most individual time trial victories. In 2005, Roberto Heras broke the overall wins record with a fourth title, although not consecutive. However, two months later he tested positive for the blood-boosting drug EPO and was disqualified. Heras' win was later reinstated on appeal, after he claimed inaccuracies in the testing and improper handling of his samples.
Rominger was a rival to Miguel Indurain in the Tour de France and was placed second in 1993 having won the final time trial, as well as winning the mountains classification. Expected to challenge again the following year, Rominger publicly conceded defeat to Indurain after falling over four minutes behind with ten stages remaining, despite luring second overall. He abandoned the Tour after losing more time in the Pyrenees.
In the latter part of 1994, Rominger won the Grand Prix des Nations, and broke the world hour record twice in a few days. For his attempt on the hour record in 1994, he was coached by Dr Michele Ferrari, who was at the trackside during the ride, and with whom he had worked closely for the previous eight years.
He used Bordeaux velodrome to ride 53.832 km and then 55.291 km, although a track novice. His first mark in October 1994 was 792m more than the previous record set by Miguel Indurain on the same track the month prior, with Romiger riding close to a second faster than Indurain for every kilometre. The first mark was carried out behind closed doors and had been only regarded as a warm-up. Of his rivalry with Indurain, Rominger said in 1995, "To defeat him is not an obsession with me. He is a kind guy and I cannot see him as an enemy".
Rominger won the 1995 Tour de Romandie in spring, and dominated the 1995 Giro d'Italia, taking the overall lead after winning the second stage time trial, and not relinquishing it over the remaining three weeks, winning four stages in total. He was joined on the podium by defending champion Evgeni Berzin and his Latvian teammate Piotr Ugrumov. Rominger's average speed of 23.9mph was the fastest edition of the race since that won by Francesco Moser in 1984.
At age 36, he announced he would retire prior to racing a final year in 1997. At the Tour de France that year he placed fifth overall in the prologue, but finished the race on a stretcher after breaking his collarbone early in the race in Plumelec. The incident also ended his plans to make a last attempt to regain the one hour distance record from Chris Boardman.
He retired with 120 professional victories. After his cycling career, Rominger became the agent of young athletes, including the Austrian racing cyclist Matthias Brändle.
Personal life Rominger is multi-lingual, speaking French, German, Italian, Danish, Spanish and English.
By 1995, he was married with two children and lived in Monaco. He later married Swiss singer Francine Jordi.
Career achievements Major results
1984 6th Overall Grand Prix Guillaume Tell 1985 10th Grand Prix des Nations 1986 5th Grand Prix des Nations 8th Firenze–Pistoia 1987 1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria 3rd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 3rd Overall Giro del Trentino 3rd Milano–Torino 5th Overall Tour Méditerranéen 8th Coppa Placci 9th Grand Prix des Nations 9th Firenze–Pistoia 1988 1st Giro dell'Emilia 1st Firenze–Pistoia 1st Stage 13 Giro d'Italia 2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 2nd Overall Tour de Romandie 1st Prologue 2nd Overall Giro del Trentino 1st Stage 2 2nd Giro del Lazio 3rd Züri-Metzgete 5th Giro di Lombardia 7th Overall Tour Méditerranéen 1st Stage 5 (ITT) 1989 1st Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Overall Tour Méditerranéen 1st Stage 4b (ITT) 1st Giro di Lombardia 1st Firenze–Pistoia 2nd UCI Road World Cup 3rd Clásica de San Sebastián 3rd Milano–Torino 4th Giro dell'Emilia 5th Overall Volta a Catalunya 6th Overall Tour de Romandie 7th Züri-Metzgete 1990 1st Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Stage 2 2nd Overall Tour Méditerranéen 1st Stage 4 2nd Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 3rd Grand Prix des Nations 4th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 1st Stage 3 4th Clásica de San Sebastián 4th Tour du Haut Var 4th Trofeo Baracchi 1991 1st Overall Paris–Nice 1st Stages 1 (TTT), 5 & 7 (ITT) 1st Overall Tour de Romandie 1st Stages 2 & 5b (ITT) 1st Grand Prix des Nations (Trofeo Baracchi) 1st Firenze–Pistoia 2nd Overall Tour Méditerranéen 2nd Milano–Torino 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 1st Stage 8 (ITT) 6th Grand Prix des Amériques 1992 1st Overall Vuelta a España 1st Combination classification 1st Stages 19 (ITT) & 20 1st Overall Tour of the Basque Country 1st Stages 2 & 5b (ITT) 1st Giro di Lombardia 1st Firenze–Pistoia 1st Subida al Naranco 2nd UCI Road World Cup 2nd Overall Paris–Nice 1st Prologue & Stage 5 2nd Overall Volta a Catalunya 1st Mountains classification 1st Stage 6 2nd Overall Vuelta Asturias 1st Stage 1a 2nd Overall Escalada a Montjuïc 1st Stage 1b (ITT) 2nd Grand Prix des Nations 3rd Milano–Torino 4th Overall Tour of Galicia 4th Road race, UCI Road World Championships 5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 1993 1st Overall Vuelta a España 1st Points classification 1st Mountains classification 1st Stages 11, 14 & 19 1st Overall Tour of the Basque Country 1st Stages 1, 4 & 5b (ITT) 1st Subida a Urkiola 1st Polynormande 2nd Overall Tour de France 1st Mountains classification 1st Stages 10, 11 & 19 (ITT) 2nd Overall Critérium International 1st Stage 2 2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège 5th Telekom Grand Prix (with Olaf Ludwig) 8th Overall Paris–Nice 1994 Best human effort: 55.291 km (5 Nov 1994) Best human effort: 53.832 km (22 Oct 1994) 1st Overall Vuelta a España 1st Stages 1 (ITT), 6, 8 (ITT), 11, 14 & 20 (ITT) 1st Overall Tour of the Basque Country 1st Stages 3 & 5b (ITT) 1st Overall Paris–Nice 1st Stage 8b (ITT) 1st Overall Escalada a Montjuich 1st Stages 1a & 1b (ITT) 1st Grand Prix Eddy Merckx 1st Grand Prix des Nations 1st Telekom Grand Prix (with Jens Lehmann) 2nd Overall Critérium International 3rd Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana 6th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 6th Milano–Torino 1995 1st Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Points classification 1st Intergiro classification 1st Stages 2 (ITT), 4, 10 (ITT) & 17 (ITT) 1st Overall Tour de Romandie 1st Prologue, Stages 3 & 5b (ITT) 1st Telekom Grand Prix (with Andrea Chiurato) 1st Stage 3 Giro del Trentino 3rd Overall Tour of the Basque Country 1st Stage 4 3rd Grand Prix Eddy Merckx 8th Overall Tour de France 1996 1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos 1st Stages 2 & 4 (ITT) 1st À travers Lausanne 2nd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré UCI Road World Championships 3rd Time trial 9th Road race 3rd Overall Vuelta a España 1st Mountains classification 1st Stages 10 (ITT) & 21 (ITT) 3rd Overall Tour DuPont 4th Overall Euskal Bizikleta 5th Overall Vuelta a Aragón 5th Overall Escalada a Montjuich 5th Time trial, Olympic Games 6th Subida al Naranco 10th Overall Tour de France 1997 2nd Chrono des Herbiers 3rd Overall Circuit de la Sarthe 4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships 5th Subida al Naranco
General classification results timeline Grand Tour general classification results Grand Tour 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Giro d'Italia 97 DNF 44 DNF — — — — —1 — — Tour de France——68—57——2DNF810DNF Vuelta a España — — — — 16 —111 —3 38Major stage race general classification results Major stage race 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Paris–Nice — — — — —1281 — — 35 / Tirreno–Adriatico —3211 — — — — — — — Tour of the Basque Country — — — — — —1113 49 — Tour de Romandie — —26 —1 — — —1 — 28 Critérium du Dauphiné — — — —43 — — — —2 — Tour de Suisse 31 60 — 24 — — — 44 35 — — 36 Volta a Catalunya — — —5 — —2 49 — — — —
+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish
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