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 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. 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, 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".
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. 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 20px Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
: 1st 20px 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 20px 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 20px Overall Paris–Nice
::1st Stages 1 (TTT), 5 & 7 (ITT)
: 1st 20px 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 20px Overall Vuelta a España
::1st 20px Combination classification
::1st Stages 19 (ITT) & 20
: 1st 20px 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 20px 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 20px Overall Vuelta a España
::1st 20px Points classification
::1st 20px Mountains classification
::1st Stages 11, 14 & 19
: 1st 20px Overall Tour of the Basque Country
::1st Stages 1, 4 & 5b (ITT)
: 1st Subida a Urkiola
: 1st Polynormande
: 2nd Overall Tour de France
::1st 20px 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: 15px 55.291 km (5 Nov 1994)
: Best human effort: 15px 53.832 km (22 Oct 1994)
: 1st 20px Overall Vuelta a España
::1st Stages 1 (ITT), 6, 8 (ITT), 11, 14 & 20 (ITT)
: 1st 20px Overall Tour of the Basque Country
::1st Stages 3 & 5b (ITT)
: 1st 20px Overall Paris–Nice
::1st Stage 8b (ITT)
: 1st 20px 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 20px Overall Giro d'Italia
::1st 20px Points classification
::1st 20px Intergiro classification
::1st Stages 2 (ITT), 4, 10 (ITT) & 17 (ITT)
: 1st 20px 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 20px Overall Vuelta a Burgos
::1st Stages 2 & 4 (ITT)
: 1st À travers Lausanne
: 2nd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
: UCI Road World Championships
::3rd 15px Time trial
::9th Road race
: 3rd Overall Vuelta a España
::1st 20px 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
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|colspan=13 align="center"|Grand Tour general classification results
|-
! scope="col" | Grand Tour
! scope="col" | 1986
! scope="col" | 1987
! scope="col" | 1988
! scope="col" | 1989
! scope="col" | 1990
! scope="col" | 1991
! scope="col" | 1992
! scope="col" | 1993
! scope="col" | 1994
! scope="col" | 1995
! scope="col" | 1996
! scope="col" | 1997
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | 20px|link=|alt=A pink jersey Giro d'Italia
| 97
| DNF
| 44
| DNF
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="background:pink;" |1
| —
| —
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | 20px|link=|alt=A yellow jersey Tour de France
|—
|—
|68
|—
|57
|—
|—
| style="background:#ddf;" |2
|DNF
| style="background:#ddf;" |8
| style="background:#ddf;" |10
|DNF
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | 20px|link=|alt=A yellow jersey Vuelta a España
| —
| —
| —
| —
| 16
| —
| style="background:yellow;"|1
| style="background:yellow;"|1
| style="background:yellow;"|1
| —
| style="background:#ddf;" |3
| 38
|-
|colspan=13 align="center"|Major stage race general classification results
|-
! Major stage race
! scope="col" | 1986
! scope="col" | 1987
! scope="col" | 1988
! scope="col" | 1989
! scope="col" | 1990
! scope="col" | 1991
! scope="col" | 1992
! scope="col" | 1993
! scope="col" | 1994
! scope="col" | 1995
! scope="col" | 1996
! scope="col" | 1997
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | Paris–Nice
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="background:white" |1
| style="background:#ddf;" |2
| style="background:#ddf;" |8
| style="background:white" |1
| —
| —
| 35
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | 20px/20px Tirreno–Adriatico
| —
| style="background:#ddf;" |3
| style="background:#ddf;" |2
| style="background:yellow; border:2px solid red;" |1
| style="background:yellow; border:2px solid red;" |1
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | Tour of the Basque Country
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="background:yellow" |1
| style="background:yellow" |1
| style="background:yellow" |1
| style="background:#ddf;" |3
| 49
| —
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | Tour de Romandie
| —
| —
| style="background:#ddf;" |2
| style="background:#ddf;" |6
| —
| style="background:lightgreen" |1
| —
| —
| —
| style="background:lightgreen" |1
| —
| 28
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | Critérium du Dauphiné
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="background:#ddf;" |4
| style="background:#ddf;" |3
| —
| —
| —
| —
| style="background:#ddf;" |2
| —
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | Tour de Suisse
| 31
| 60
| —
| 24
| —
| —
| —
| 44
| 35
| —
| —
| 36
|- style="text-align:center;"
! scope="row" | Volta a Catalunya
| —
| —
| —
| style="background:#ddf;" |5
| —
| —
| style="background:#ddf;" |2
| 49
| —
| —
| —
| —
|}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Legend
|-
! scope="row" | —
| Did not compete
|-
! scope="row" | DNF
| Did not finish
|}