Cipo talks 'no joke'
Following initial reports that former World Champion Mario Cipollini is in talks with the US squad...
Following initial reports that former World Champion Mario Cipollini is in talks with the US squad Rock & Republic, the Italian's lawyer categorically denied that his client is fancying a return to racing. For Cipollini to come back to the peloton at age 41, and race for a domestic squad in a foreign country – one which specializes in criteriums and sports a brash, tattooed rock star image complete with Cadillac Escalades as team cars – certainly sounds unbelievable, but team director Frankie Andreu assured Cyclingnews that the story is no joke.
"The fact that Cipollini has been in talks with the team is absolutely true," Andreu said on Saturday. "Whether or not he's going to return to racing, I don't know. But he, [team manager] Haldane Morris and [Rock & Republic owner] Michael Ball met in Los Angeles and even went on a ride together."
Morris declined to comment, deferring to Ball, who could not be reached for comment.
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Laura Weislo has been with Cyclingnews since 2006 after making a switch from a career in science. As Managing Editor, she coordinates coverage for North American events and global news. As former elite-level road racer who dabbled in cyclo-cross and track, Laura has a passion for all three disciplines. When not working she likes to go camping and explore lesser traveled roads, paths and gravel tracks. Laura specialises in covering doping, anti-doping, UCI governance and performing data analysis.