Giovanni Rossignoli was the hidden winner of two Giri d’Italia. He never won the Italian grand tour, but, in fact, he was the fastest finisher – twice.
Category Archives: History and Legends
Ferdi is too old… Ferdi hurts too much… (1955 Tour de France)
A very enjoyable story about the legendary Swiss cyclist Ferdi Kübler. As I wrote before, these days I am reading William Fotheringham’s “Put Me Back On My Bike – In search of Tom Simpson”. Like all books of Fotheringham, it is a great book.
British Media and Cycling
These days I am reading “Put Me Back On My Bike – In search of Tom Simpson“ by William Fotheringham. This is my third Fotheringham book, after “Fallen Angel: The Passion of Fausto Coppi” and “Merckx: Half Man, Half Bike”.
Ciao Fausto
“Ciao Fausto”: Goodbye Fausto, a very beautiful song by Italian singer and songwriter Mario Gualtieri.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone. The most wonderful of all feelings in this world is love and passion. Nine years ago, on February 14th, Marco Pantani, “Il Pirata”, who loved cycling with passion, has passed away at a hotel in Rimini. With his death, cycling lost one of its most talented and loved characters.
Andrea Sandrino Carrea, Coppi’s last “Gregario” died aged 88
Andrea Sandrino Carrea, Fausto Coppi‘s last “gregario” (domestique) has died aged 88. He was the first cyclist to ride the Alpe d’Huez in the yellow jersey of leadership in the Tour de France and probably the only rider to have wept in distress at accidentally leading the race.
Giro d’Italia History rated by a panel of 100 journalists
Giro d’Italia History rated by a panel of 100 journalists: RCS Sport, the organizer of Giro d’Italia, has put together 100 journalists to rate the greatest moments of the Italian Grand Tour’s long history. “To exorcise the World’s end, as predicted by the Mayan Prophecy”, journalists were questioned over the most memorable moments in the …
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Hugo Koblet: Pédaleur de charme
Pédaleur de charme, meaning “Pedaler of Charm“, was Hugo Koblet‘s nickname (He won Tour de France in 1951 and Giro d’Italia in 1950). He also won the Mountain Classification of Giro d’Italia in 1950.
The Yellow Rosebud: Orson Welles and the 1950 Tour de France
Orson Welles, the famous American director was the official starter of the Tour de France in 1950. The best-known film directed by him is Citizen Kane. The film was nominated for Academy Awards in nine categories; it won an Academy Award for Best Writing (Original Screenplay) by Herman Mankiewicz and Welles. Citizen Kane was voted …
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Ocaña vs Merckx, 1971 Tour de France
1971 Tour de France was a scene of an epic Luis Ocaña vs Eddy Merckx battle. Eventually, the tour was a great tragedy for Luis Ocaña, who won the Tour de France in 1973 and the Vuelta a España in 1970. Eddy Merckx won Tour de France in 1969 and 1970, and it looked like …
