Career
He was one of the best single-day race specialist of his generation, winning three of the five Monument races. Bartoli turned professional in 1992 with Mercatone Uno–Medeghini–Zucchini and in 1995 moved to the MG-Technogym team of Giancarlo Ferretti. In 1998, Bartoli signed for Asics.
In summer 1998, Bartoli joined Mapei.
From 10 October 1998 to 6 June 1999, Bartoli led the UCI Road World Rankings. During these years, Bartoli was helped by Paolo Bettini, with whom Bartoli had worked in the MG-Technogym and Asics teams.
Bettini kept improving. After a crash in the 1999 Tour of Germany, Bartoli was injured and Bettini rose to prominence, winning Liège–Bastogne–Liège.
From that moment, both demanded a leading role.
Although they worked together at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, the feud culminated in the 2001 world championship during which the two refused to collaborate, which contributed to Óscar Freire of Spain winning the world title. Bartoli left Mapei to re-join Ferretti at Fassa Bortolo for 2002-2003. In 2004, Bartoli moved to Team Civil Service Commission. In the 2004 Tour de France, Bartoli abandoned in the 18th stage, after being called back by manager Bjarne Riis from a break to protect his captain Ivan Basso.
Bartoli stopped racing after completing 2004 injured.
He said: "I just wasn"t motivated to continue. I can"t be a top level rider any more and that was a major influence on my decision, rather than my recent physical problems."
Bartoli was one of the most successful classics riders of his time.
In the world championship he finished third in 1996 and 1998. In 2005 Bartoli gave his name to the Granfondo Michele Bartoli in the province of Lucca, with the start and finish in his hometown Montecarlo.
Bartoli is, with former cyclists Francesco Casagrande and Maximilian Sciandri, instructor of the Campagnolo Passion 2 Ride.
