One of Italy’s, and the world’s, top cyclists, Mario Cipollini announced he would be retiring. After a long and successful career the king of cycling has decided to leave the competitive circuit: “I have been racing with emotion for a lifetime and it will be difficult to do without it. But, I wasn’t going anymore and I understood that. I have a clear conscience even though I know I could have won many more of the classics. I just didn’t believe in myself anymore”.