When Fausto Coppi headed the Carpano team in 1956, he issued to all his riders eight pieces of advice. With everything the great “campionissimo” said and wrote having become hallowed and revered, the so-called eight commandments of the champion of champions have survived the intervening decades and are still very pertinent. Here is what Coppi …
Category Archives: History and Legends
Léon Scieur carries his own wheel
Today’s historic photo of the day: during the penultimate (14th) stage of the 1921 Tour de France, Léon Scieur, the Belgian rider of La Sportive team carries his own wheel to the finish line. Scieur won the 1921 Tour de France when he was 33-year-old, along with stages 3 and 10. The 15th edition of …
Eddy70 (Limited Edition) by Eddy Merckx Cycles
The legendary Eddy Merckx is turning 70 years old this year, on June 17, 2015. To celebrate, the bike brand that bears his name, the Eddy Merckx Cycles is producing a limited edition, modern, high-quality stainless steel racing bike: Eddy70. There will be only 70 examples produced, and the first specimen (No 1) has already …
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Bartolomeo Aimo at the 1925 Tour de France
Today’s historic photo of the day: Italian cyclist Bartolomeo Aimo (sometimes written Bartolomeo Aymo) leading a greatly reduced peloton over the Allos at stage 13 of the Tour de France 1925. Stage 13 was a 275 km (171 mi) long trip from Nice to Briançon. It was a cold, rainy day in the Alps. The Italian …
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Alfred Achermann crashes on Paris-Roubaix cobbles
Today’s historic photo of the day: KAS rider Alfred Achermann crashes heavily and retires from the race on the Paris-Roubaix cobbles, in the Arenberg Forest. 86th edition of the “Queen of the classics”, Sunday, April 10, 1988. 1988 Paris-Roubaix surprisingly won by Belgian Dirk Demol (later, he was the Directeur sportif of the UCI Pro …
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Serse Coppi wins Paris-Roubaix 1949
Today’s historic photo of the day: Serse Coppi kisses his elder brother Fausto Coppi after winning the Paris-Roubaix 1949 edition. For the first and only time in history, there were two winners in Paris-Roubaix, and Serse was one of them. The other was team Stella-Dunlop’s French rider André Mahé. 1949 Paris-Roubaix, the 47th edition of …
The Obree Way
“The Obree Way” is a book written by Graeme Obree aka “The Flying Scotsman”, who broke the world hour record twice, in July 1993 and April 1994, and was the individual pursuit world champion in 1993 and 1995. It explains Graeme Obree’s radical insights into technique, training, psychology and diet, and the logic behind them. …
Fausto Coppi after Paris-Roubaix 1959
Today’s historic photo of the day: after the Paris-Roubaix 1959 edition, Fausto Coppi, covered with mud. It was the latest Paris-Roubaix of “il campionissimo”, before his premature death in less than nine months. The final three seasons of Coppi’s life, between 1957 and 1959, saw his inevitable decline. He remained a living legend, but as …
Fausto Coppi wins Paris-Roubaix 1950 (Video)
Today’s historic photo of the day, with a video: Fausto Coppi winning the Paris-Roubaix 1950 edition, with a great solo attack. Coppi’s 1950 Paris-Roubaix winning move is widely regarded as one of the greatest rides in cycling history.
Eddy Merckx’s Hour Record – 1972 (video)
In 1972, On 25 October, Eddy Merckx set the Hour Record, after a great season: he started the year winning “la primavera”, Milan-San Remo, the first classic of the cycling season. He then won Liège-Bastogne-Liège, one of the five “monuments” (see notes 1), the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France (both general classification and points …
