Allan Peiper (born 26 April 1960), is a retired

Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...

professional cyclist and current pro cycling team manager. He began cycling at 12 years of age, competing on both road and track, with success. Selected for the Australian team, at the 1977 Junior World Championships in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, Austria. The 16 year old Peiper, then went to race in Belgium. He stayed for the next three years. Winning races, as a junior, then amateur, hardened a mindset & reputation, that remains to this day. Intense racing and travelling, eventually, took its toll on his health. In late 1979, following an illness, he returned to Australia, to recover. He didn't race again, until late 1980. A key figure in Peiper's recovery, and return to top level racing, was Peter Brotherton a former British Olympic cyclist (he settled in Melbourne, after the

1956 Summer Olympics The 1956 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XVI Olympiad and officially branded as Melbourne 1956, were an international multi-sport event held in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, from 22 November to 8 December ...

) who was building frames & helping riders with training advice. A highly successful return to racing in 1981, winning often, and the Dulux Tour of New Zealand, gave Peiper, the chance to return to Europe in 1982, with the ACBB amateur team, based in Paris, France. The 1982 season with ACBB was successful. Winning 14 races, amateur classics, and the prestigious Grand Prix des Nations TT. This earned him a professional contract with

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

for 1983. In 10 years, he rode the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

five times, the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

four times & the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Ital ...

once (10 Grand Tours). In his career, Peiper raced with 3 Professional Cycling teams:

Panasonic is a Japanese multinational electronics manufacturer, headquartered in Kadoma, Osaka, Kadoma, Japan. It was founded in 1918 as in Fukushima-ku, Osaka, Fukushima by Kōnosuke Matsushita. The company was incorporated in 1935 and renamed and c ...

and Tulip Computers, winning more than 35 races, including stages of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. Allan now resides in Belgium. After six years working with

BMC Racing Team CCC Pro Team () was a UCI WorldTeam co-owned and managed by American cyclist Jim Ochowicz, who founded the 7-Eleven Cycling Team. After its last title sponsor, CCC SA, CCC, a Polish shoe retailer, pulled out due to financial difficulties resultin ...

, the team disbanded at the end of the 2018 season. In 2019, Allan, will be working with

UAE Team Emirates UAE Team Emirates XRG () is an Emirati road bicycle racing team. The team competes at UCI WorldTeam level and has done so since the UCI World Tour was formed as the top category of road cycling in 2005. Since becoming UAE Team Emirates in 2018, ...

as Lead DS.

Amateur career

1972–77: Australia

Beginning to race in the local club cycle races, he soon progressed to open road races, and following success, he was often selected* for the state cycling team of Victoria at various Australian Cycling Championships. :*''(In the early years, riders could compete in Australian Cycling Championships only if selected by the rider's state of residence. Nowadays, riders, can enter state or national championships, without restriction)''. State Championship wins on the road, and in the pursuit, followed quickly by the Oceania Cycling Championships, where, Peiper cleaned up in the Junior category. He was selected for the Junior World Cycling Championships in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

, where, he placed 3rd in the Junior Points race.

1977–79: Belgium

At 16 years of age, Peiper (after the World Junior Cycling Championships) in

travelled to

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, to live and race in the daily Kermiskoersen. In that first season (1977) in

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, he won one race, but finished second 39 times. He had been living in a small butchers shop, in

, with several other cyclists, before befriending

Eddy Planckaert Eddy Planckaert (born 22 September 1958) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. In 1988, Planckaert enjoyed perhaps his best year by capturing the green jersey (points competition) at the 1988 Tour de France a ...

and being invited to live with the Planckaert family, in

Nevele Nevele () is a village and former Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Hansbeke, Landegem, Merendree, Nevele proper, Poesele and Vosselare. In 2 ...

. The following year (1978) he returned to the World Junior Cycling Championships held in

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, USA, where he competed in the road race, and came second in the points race. Returning to Belgium, he continued to race, winning another 10 races, and placing second, a further 25 times. Peiper, was a "professional junior" until the middle of 1979, when, following a bout of ill health, he returned to Australia, to recover.

1980–81: Australia

It was not until November 1980, that Peiper, had recovered enough to begin racing again. He was helped and mentored, in his recovery by Peter Brotherton a former Olympic cyclist, (who competed in the

individual pursuit The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track. It is held at over for men and women. The riders start at the same time and set off to complete the rac ...

) for Great Britain. In 1981 Peiper, raced mainly in Australia and New Zealand, where he won the Dulux Tour of the North Island. This earned an invitation to join the famous ACBB amateur cycling team, based in Paris, France, for 1982.

1982: ACBB

The Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt (ACBB) cycling team, had a ruthless reputation and culture, where riders were expected to win. If they did not, they were soon discarded. Previous English-speaking cyclists (who raced with the team) include Paul Sherwen, Graham Jones, Robert Millar, Phil Anderson, Stephen Roche and

Sean Yates Sean Yates (born 18 May 1960) is an English former professional cyclist and directeur sportif. Career Yates competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics, finishing sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit. As an amateur in 1980, he won the British 25-m ...

.
By the September, Peiper, had won 14 races, including several classics, and the prestigious GP des Nations time trial. The

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games is a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations, which consists mostly, but not exclusively, of territories of the former British Empire. The event was first held in 1930 ...

were to be held in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

in late September 1982. Cycling Australia would not consider Peiper, for the national cycling team, as he had not raced any Australian selection events.
That was the end of Peiper's amateur career. He was to become a professional cyclist, with Peugeot in 1983.

Professional career

1983–1985: Peugeot

Peiper made his professional cycling debut in the traditional early season races based around the South of France. In his second year (1984) Peiper began to win more races. Many cycle stage races, begin with a short time trial (called a prologue). This determines the first race leader, and these intense, time trial efforts, were something of a "trade mark" of Peiper. By winning the opening race prologue, the rider also leads the race overall, gains the race leader's jersey, and receives considerable publicity for himself and the cycling team. In 1984, Peiper won 3 prologues at:

Étoile de Bessèges The Étoile de Bessèges () is an early-season five-day road bicycle racing stage race held annually around Bessèges, in the Gard department of the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. First organized in 1971 as a one-day race, it became a ...

Tour de l'Oise The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a se ...

& the

Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycle sport, cycling road bicycle racing, road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during ...

. He also won the

Tour of Sweden The Tour of Sweden (or Postgirot Open) was an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern ...

stage race, by winning the final time trial. Peiper made his debut in the 1984

by placing 3rd in the opening prologue. On the opening road stage, he again, placed 3rd. Second place, would have given him the race lead and the yellow jersey. He also led the best young rider classification "White Jersey" competition. Peiper, finished his debut Tour de France in 95th position.

1986–1990: Panasonic

After three seasons, racing with

, Peiper joined the Dutch

team, managed by

Peter Post Peter Post (12 November 193314 January 2011) was a Dutch professional cyclist whose career lasted from 1956 to 1972. Post competed in road and track racing. As a rider he is best remembered for Six-day racing, having competed in 155 races and wo ...

. The Spring Classics of 1987, were a turning point for Peiper. Intensive training began to show results. He was in the race winning moves at Het Volk,

Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...

, E3 Prijs, Driedaagse de Panne, Ronde van Vlaanderen,

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

. He also started, but did not finish

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' ...

Amstel Gold Race Amstel Gold Race may refer to: * Amstel Gold Race (men's race) The Amstel Gold Race is a one-day classic cycle races, classic road bicycle race, road cycling race held annually since 1966 Amstel Gold Race, 1966 in the province of Limburg (Netherl ...

and

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège , also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five ''Cycling monument, Monuments'' of the Eur ...

. A block of April races, that would be unlikely to occur (with one rider) nowadays. In 1988, the World Road Championship, was held in

Ronse Ronse (; ) is a Belgian city and a municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality only encompasses the city of Ronse proper. History Early settlements to 14th century The hills around Ronse show clues of human a ...

. The race was decided, from a select 13 man group (including Peiper), who started the last lap together. Claude Criquelion attacked, quickly caught by

Maurizio Fondriest Maurizio Fondriest (born 15 January 1965) is a retired Italian professional road racing cyclist. Career Born in Cles, Trentino, Fondriest turned professional in 1987 with the Ecoflam team. He subsequently rode for Alfa-Lum in 1988, winning the ...

, with Steve Bauer and Martial Gayant chasing behind. Peiper was next, in turn, being chased down by seven riders, including

Laurent Fignon Laurent Patrick Fignon (; 12 August 1960 – 31 August 2010) was a French professional road bicycle racer who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984, as well as the Giro d'Italia in 1989. He held the title of FICP World No. 1 in 1989. Fignon came ...

. At the finish, Criquelion & Bauer collided Fondriest won the race. Peiper, was caught and passed, within the last 100m, by the chasing group. He finished 10th

Major results

;1982 : 3rd

Paris–Roubaix Espoirs Paris–Roubaix Espoirs is a one-day road cycling race held annually in France. In 2005 the race was integrated into the UCI Europe Tour as a category 1.2U race. Held since 1967, it is the under-23 version of the Monument classic Paris–Roubaix ...

;1983 : 7th Circuit des Frontières ;1984 : 1st Jersey green 2

Overall

::1st Prologue : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 8b ( ITT) : 1st Prologue Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 5th Overall

Tour Méditerranéen Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

: 9th Overall

::1st Prologue ;1985 : 1st Prologue

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional road bicycle racing, cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the ...

: 1st Prologue

: 3rd Grand Prix de Cannes ;1986 : 1st GP Impanis : 1st Stage 4a

Tour of Belgium The Tour of Belgium (; ) is a five-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium, and is part of the UCI ProSeries. It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several races were not org ...

: 2nd Overall

Herald Sun Tour The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six-day event. It is now held annuall ...

::1st Stages 3, 9 & 13 : 3rd

Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen (Championship of Flanders) or Koolskamp Koerse is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Koolskamp (part-municipality of Ardooie), West Flanders, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom ...

: 8th Overall Three Days of De Panne : 9th

Grand Prix d'Isbergues Grand Prix d'Isbergues is a professional cycle road race held in Isbergues, Pas-de-Calais The Pas-de-Calais (, ' strait of Calais'; ; ) is a department in northern France named after the French designation of the Strait of Dover, which ...

;1987 : 1st Circuit des Frontières : 1st

: 4th Overall Three Days of De Panne : 5th

: 10th Overall

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after th ...

::1st Prologue : 10th

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders () may refer to the following cycle races: * Tour of Flanders (men's race) The Tour of Flanders (), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race held in Belgium every spri ...

;1988 :

::1st Stages 1 ( ITT) & 10 : 1st Stage 5 Nissan Classic : 2nd Overall Three Days of De Panne : 2nd

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 ki ...

: 3rd Overall

: 5th Overall

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk () is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been held over a 5 or 6 day period for ...

: 6th Overall

: 8th Veenendaal–Veenendaal : 8th GP Impanis : 10th Road race,

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and , a UCI Road World Championships ...

: 10th

Züri-Metzgete Züri-Metzgete (Zürich German; ; ) was a European Classic cycle races, Classic cycle race held annually in Zürich, Switzerland, and continued as a non-professional mass participation event from 2007 until 2014. It was a race with a long history ...

;1989 : 2nd

Trofeo Baracchi The Trofeo Baracchi was a major Italian cycling race that ran for 50 years. It was created by Giacomo Baracchi, in memory of his father Angelo who was a great cycle racing fan. Originally (from 1941) an amateur individual time trial An indiv ...

(with

) : 3rd Overall Three Days of De Panne : 4th Overall

: 4th Grand Prix de la Libération : 7th

: 8th Overall Tour de Trump ;1990 : 1st Stage 14

: 1st Stage 2 ( TTT)

: 7th Overall

: 8th Overall

;1991 : 6th Overall

: 7th

Grand Prix Eddy Merckx Grand Prix Eddy Merckx was a cycle race around Brussels, where Eddy Merckx was born. It was held between 1980 and 2004, disappearing after the creation of the UCI ProTour in 2005. The race was initially an individual time trial, becoming a Team ti ...

: 10th Overall

Ronde van Nederland The Tour of the Netherlands ''(Dutch: Ronde van Nederland)'' was a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948 in sports, 1948. It was an annual race since 1975 in sports, 1975. Because of the start of the Union Cycliste ...

: 10th

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Peiper, Allan 1960 births Living people Australian male cyclists Cyclists from Victoria (state) People from Alexandra, Victoria Sportsmen from Victoria (state) 20th-century Australian sportsmen