Published April 13, 2023 03:07AM
Two-time world mountain bike champion Dario Acquaroli dies
Acquaroli was one of the rising stars in Italy in the 1990s, and beat the likes of Miguel Martinez and Cadel Evans for the U23 world title. He was 48.
Dario Acquaroli, center, died recently in Italy.
Dario Acquaroli, a two-time world mountain bike champion, recently died in Italy. He was 48.
According to the Italian cycling federation, Acquaroli was riding his bike near Bergamo in northern Italy on April 9 when he was found unconscious on the ground. Emergency services were contacted, but efforts to revive him failed.
Acquaroli was one of the rising stars in Italy during the worldwide mountain bike boom in the 1990s. He won the junior world XC title in 1993 and the U23 XC title in 1996, beating the likes of future Olympic gold medalist Miguel Martinez and 2011 Tour de France champion Cadel Evans.
He competed for several years on the World Cup circuit in cross-country and marathon, riding for such teams as Team Bianchi, Full-Dynamix, and Sintesi Larm.
He was also a five-time Italian national champion and two-time European champion in cross-country.
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After retiring from competitive racing, he was involved with several brands and worked in the bike industry. An avid outdoors enthusiast, he chronicled his backcountry skiing and cycling adventures.