Sonny Colbrelli and Claudio Chiapucci finished in the back of the pack and were unsuccessful in local political elections held in northern Italy over the weekend.

Colbrelli decided to run for the Silvio Berlusconi-led Forza Italia in January after heart problems ended his career as a professional racer in 2022.

When he formally announced his candidacy at the end of January, he had a clear focus on developing the sport in his political activities, but he also wanted to improve road safety after many cyclists, including Italian legend Davide Rebellin, were killed on Italian roads last year.

However, former Paris-Roubaix winner Chiaiaia only collected 1,387 votes in Brescia, near his hometown of Valle Sabbia, placing him fourth among candidates for Lombardy's regional parliament.

Chiapucci, who turns 60 in two weeks, is remembered for his successes in the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France as a Carrera rider in the 1990s; he also won the Milano-San Remo in 1991, but his career ended when his blood hematocrit level was found to be over 50%. He ended his career.

In the Lombardy elections, Chiapucci, who ran with Letizia Moratti in Monza for the liberal centrist party, received only 121 votes.

Lombardy and Brescia are dominated by right-wing Italian parties, and Forza Italia and the Northern League recently joined forces with the nationalist party Italian Brothers to win national elections. Forza Italia and the Northern Alliance again prevailed in Lazio, which includes Lombardy and the Italian capital.

Colbrelli reportedly said he was a "Berlusconi fan" despite the 86-year-old Berlusconi being found guilty of tax fraud, embroiled in multiple scandals, and a long-term associate of Vladimir Putin.

In 2014, Colbrelli posted a comment on Facebook suggesting that former fascist dictator Mussolini was needed to deal with the influx of migrants into Italy. He later deleted the post and said he regretted it, denying that it had any political or racial overtones.

Colbrelli ended his racing career last spring after suffering a life-threatening, unstable arrhythmia. He collapsed after the first stage of the Volta a Catalunya in March and was subsequently fitted with a subcutaneous defibrillator to stabilize his heartbeat in case the arrhythmia occurred again. Because Italian law does not allow riders with defibrillators to compete, Colbrelli was forced to retire from the race.

Colbrelli still rides bicycles and was recently announced as a brand ambassador for Merida. He also serves as an ambassador and technical role for the Bahrain Victorias team.