Tour de France icon claimed he’d be a ‘loser’ if hed only slept with 198 women

Tour de France legend Mario Cipollini once claimed he would be a “loser” if he’d only slept with 198 women.

The Italian cyclist, 55, is known as one of the greatest sprinters of his generation with a remarkably long career stretching from the 1980s to 2005. He has stage wins at all three Grand Tours as well as a Monument and a World Championship triumph under his belt.

Super Mario retired in 2005, but his colourful persona within cycling also made him a much-loved sex symbol. And he fully embraced his womaniser image by once claiming he had comfortably slept with more than 198 women.

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Cipollini was asked in an interview with Rouleur if he had more victories or women. The Italian responded: "If I only had 198 women, the same numbers as my victories, I’d have to be considered a loser."

Later asked if he wanted to go to heaven or hell, Cipollini said: "I hope I’ll go wherever the women are, that is to say, where the cock crows.

"And you know why the cock crows? Because Mother Nature, or the good lord, made chickens without underwear."

His sex-mad persona also snuck its way onto race events, having once taped a picture of Pamela Anderson to his handlebars for the 1999 Tour de France. Anderson was, at that point, one of the biggest celebrities on the planet, thanks to her starring role in Baywatch.

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And Cipollini sought to use the blonde bombshell’s alluring looks to increase his testosterone levels during the race. Remarkably, it appeared to work as Cipollini won four stages in a row during the first week of the Tour before packing his bags and heading home as the race hit the mountains.

He even turned up to the start of one stage dressed up as Julius Cesar as a nod to the historical figure’s birthday. His boisterous antics meant he was not invited by the organisers to partake between 2000 and 2003 despite being world champion.

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