Former world champion Mario Cipollini has returned to cycling at the age of 40, signing a deal with American team Rock & Republic, Italian media reported today.
The Gazzetta dello Sport Web site said the sprinter will compete in the Tour of California next month.
The colourful Italian won the elite men's road race at the 2002 world championships and also recorded 42 stage wins in the Giro d'Italia and 12 stage victories in the Tour de France.
Cipollini, who retired in 2005, was recently named as the latest Italian sports personality to be investigated in a tax probe.
