Mario Cipollini made his return to the pro peloton last week in the Tour of California. Riding for the controversial Rock Racing team, “Super Mario” arrived in California the day before the race was to begin. He brought his own bike with him as well, instead of the De Rosa bikes the Rock team were outfitted with.

Many people wondered ahead of the opening prologue just what kind of form Cipollini would be on. With three years away from competition, there were question marks surrounding his fitness level. Some cycling fans (including this one!) doubted the legendary rider, thinking he was a bit over the hill to compete with cycling’s elite, but his teammate Tyler Hamilton was confident that the aging Italian sprint king would deliver a good result in Sunday’s prologue, saying “Watch Cipo’ tomorrow, he’s gonna go fast.”

And go fast he did. Cipo’ blistered the short, flat course and slotted in at only 17 seconds slower than world time trial champion Fabian Cancellera. This result would have been good for any pro rider, but for a 40-something knocking off three years of rust, it was superhuman. Indeed, if mercurial climber Gilberto Simoni had been racing, he perhaps would have referred to Cipo’ as an “extraterrestrial.”

Stage one didn’t go as smoothly for the famous Italian, but in stage two Mario made it known that his comeback is for real. Sprinting with two of the best in the world, High Road’s Mark Cavendish and Quick Step’s Tom Boonen, Cipollini managed third on the stage, and his first podium appearance in years. Even though he placed third, the cheers he received from the crowd were equal to those of the race winner Boonen.

Stage two was the closest that Cipollini would get to victory for the rest of the Tour, but his presence in the race still brought people out in droves to watch the proud former world champ. Each day at the sign in stage he was hawked for autographs, and more than one time he was gracious enough to give an interview to the ravenous race media, albeit in his broken English. Realizing that he is as much an ambassador as he is a cyclist, Cipollini made sure to show his American tifosi plenty of love.

Mario’s next step is a bit unclear, as recent rumors circulating out of the Rock camp have him at odds with team owner Michael Ball. Cipollini was clearly annoyed with the bad publicity brought to the team from the banned riders (Botero, Hamilton, Sevilla), and expressed that he didn’t feel Rock Racing would be able to continue unless they cleaned up their image. Whether Mike Ball will agree with him is an entirely different story that will no doubt play out in front of the press in the coming days. Until then, the Lion King rides on, battling against riders half his age with the same fury as when he was a legend in the making racing for the Del Tongo team in the late 80’s and early 90’s.

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