Tag: Louison Bobet

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UCI Worlds Races

Complete List of UCI Elite Men Road Race World Champions

2023 UCI World Champion: Mathieu van der Poel
2023 UCI world champion (elite men's road race) is Mathieu van der Poel of the Netherlands.

The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Here’s the complete list of the UCI Elite Men Road Race World Champions.

The first professional world championship took place in July 1927 at the Nürburgring in Germany, where legendary Italian Alfredo Binda won the professional men’s race.

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History and Legends Giro d'Italia Races

Black Jersey is Back

Giovanni Pinarello in Maglia Nera (1951)
Giovanni Pinarello was the last winner of the Maglia Nera. He used the Black Jersey prize money to start his framebuilding shop which went on to equip several winners of the vastly more coveted maglia rosa.

Between 1946 and 1951, the Giro d’Italia had a special jersey, “maglia nera” (English: black jersey), for the last-placed rider. There was a real competition between many riders, to win this highly-coveted jersey. The last-placed rider would ride the final victory lap with the race winner each year around the historic Vigorelli Velodrome in Milan.

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History and Legends Giro d'Italia Races

Koblet-Coppi battle, Giro d’Italia 1953

Fausto Coppi and Hugo Koblet, Giro d’Italia 1953
Fausto Coppi and Hugo Koblet, Giro d’Italia 1953. Hugo Koblet, "Pédaleur de charme", and Fausto Coppi, "Il Campionissimo", two post-war era giants. They were good friends, until the Giro d’Italia 1953 edition. After that Giro, they would never speak to each other again. But, what happened?

Hugo Koblet, “Pédaleur de charme“, and Fausto Coppi, “Il Campionissimo”, two post-war era giants. They were good friends, until the Giro d’Italia 1953 edition. After that Giro, they would never speak to each other again. But, what happened?

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History and Legends Races Tour de France

Charly Gaul on Mont Ventoux, Tour de France 1958

Charly Gaul on Mont-Ventoux, Tour de France 1958 stage 18
Charly Gaul on Mont-Ventoux, Tour de France 1958 stage 18 individual time trial

Today’s historic photo of the day: Charly Gaul on Mont Ventoux; Tour de France 1958, stage 18, July 13, Sunday, 21.5 km Individual Time Trial.

A 21.5-kilometer individual time trial from Bédouin – up Mount Ventoux. Charly Gaul, as usual, let himself lose some time on the flat stages, always confident that he could make the time up in the mountains.

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Cycling and Music, Cinema, Art History and Legends

Fausto Coppi on the cover of Tintin magazine

Fausto Coppi on TinTin Magazine
Fausto Coppi on TinTin Magazine, 11 August 1960

Today’s historic photo of the day: well, it’s actually not a photo of a cyclist, just a photo of a magazine – 11 August 1960 edition of “The Adventures of Tintin”. “Il Campionissimo” Fausto Coppi was on the cover of the magazine.

Fausto Coppi was not alive when the magazine was published.

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History and Legends

Giovanni Pinarello passes away

Giovanni Pinarello
Giovanni Pinarello (10.07.1922 - 04.09.2014) Giovanni "Nani" Pinarello was born in Catena di Villorba, Italy on 10 July 1922. He was the eighth of 12 brothers. At the age of fifteen, Giovanni began making bicycles at the factory of Paglianti. After a successful amateur career, he turned professional in 1947, aged 25. His love for two wheels and an innate gift as an indomitable fighter led him to pursue a career in cycling. This is the ‘Eroico’ (Heroic) era in cycling: Coppi, Bartali, Bobet on white roads, difficult, very difficult terrain. But the young Nani immediately attracted attention, winning over 60 races and the tender age of 20 won "la Popolarissima" in Treviso, an important race in the Dilettanti circuit (a level of racing which opens doors to being a Professional). But it is in 1951 that Nani has his personal date with destiny: racing in the 34th Giro d'Italia, which is won by Rosa Fiorenzo Magni and the great Louis Bobet winning the mountain classification. In the last place comes Giovanni, but in those years the last place was not a disgrace, instead, the last rider wore the Maglia Nera (Black Jersey). Giovanni loved to tell the stories of the strategies he carried out in order to take this ranking. There have been known cases of cyclists purposely flattening their own tires, hiding in barns or bars in the aim to lose time in order to arrive last in a stage… this was definitely another era of cycling. Arriving last also means a moment of celebration, including a lap of honor with the winners in Vigorelli velodrome. Giovanni did just that on the 10th June, 1951 carrying this triumph to Milan between Magni and Bobet. That jersey went on to tag Giovanni forever "the one with the Maglia Nera". Gino Bartali, a very good friend of Giovanni’s, noted a dedication, which is still visible today in the store in Treviso "The Black Jersey of Cycling ... but the Pink Jersey of Life."

Today, Giovanni Pinarello, the founder of the Pinarello bicycles has died at 92. The death of the Italian framebuilder has been announced on the Italian bike manufacturer’s Facebook page.

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History and Legends Cycling and Music, Cinema, Art Giro d'Italia Races

Coppi and Bartali smoking cigars – “Totò al Giro d’Italia

Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali smoking cigars (featured)
Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali smoking cigars in "Totò al Giro d'Italia" (Totò in Giro d'Italia), a 1948 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.

Today’s historic photo of the day: Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali smoking cigars in “Totò al Giro d’Italia” (Totò in Giro d’Italia), a 1948 Italian comedy film directed by Mario Mattoli and starring Totò.

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History and Legends Giro d'Italia Tour de France

Hugo Koblet: Pédaleur de charme

Hugo Koblet
Hugo Koblet was a handsome man whose fame brought beautiful women and a lifestyle that affected his career.

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.

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Cyclists and Teams History and Legends

Nicknames of Cyclists – B

Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi behind
Gino Bartali with Fausto Coppi behind him. Unfortunately I couldn't find in which race the photo was taken. Some sources say it's from 1952 Tour de France, but I think it's unlikely, because Bartali was a gregario of Coppi at the 1952 Tour, and it seems Bartali is attacking Coppi here. But it must be 1950s though, since Bartali seems very old here. And what was going on behind Coppi? It seems like somebody is fighting. Gino Bartali (18 July 1914 – 5 May 2000) was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia three times (1936, 1937, 1946) with 17 individual stages and the Tour de France twice, in 1938 and 1948, with twelve individual stages. His second and last Tour de France victory in 1948 gave him the largest gap between victories in the race, which still remains. He also won Milan-Sanremo four times, Giro di Lombardia (today Il Lombardia) three times, became the Italian champion four times (first in 1935 and the last one was in 1952!), Giro d'Italia mountains classification seven times, Tour de France mountains classification twice, among with many other important stage races and one day classics. In September 2013, 13 years after his death, Bartali was recognised as a "Righteous Among the Nations" by Yad Vashem for his efforts to aid Jews during World War II. Bartali has earned respect for his work in helping Jews who were being persecuted by the Nazis during the time of the Italian Social Republic (Mussolini's fascist Italy). It emerged in December 2010 that Bartali had hidden a Jewish family in his cellar and, according to one of the survivors, by doing so saved their lives. Bartali used his fame to carry messages and documents to the Italian Resistance. Bartali cycled from Florence through Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche, sometimes traveling as far afield as Rome, all the while wearing the racing jersey emblazoned with his name. Neither the Fascist police nor the German troops risked discontent by arresting him. Giorgio Nissim, a Jewish accountant from Pisa, was a member of DELASEM, founded by the Union of the Israelitic Communities to help Jewish Italians escape persecution. The network in Tuscany was discovered in autumn 1943 and all members except Nissim sent to concentration camps. He met Pope Pius XII and, with the help of the Archbishop of Genoa, the Franciscan Friars and others he reorganized DELASEM and helped 800 escape. Nissim died in 2000. His sons found from his diaries that Bartali had used his fame to help. Nissim and the Oblati Friars of Lucca forged documents and needed photographs of those they were helping. Bartali used to leave Florence in the morning, pretending to train, rode to a convent in which the Jews were hiding, collected their photographs and rode back to Nissim. Bartali used his position to learn about raids on safehouses. Bartali was eventually taken to Villa Triste in Florence. The SD and the Italian RSS office, Mario Carità questioned Bartali, threatening his life. Bartali simply answered "I do what I feel [in my heart]". Bartali continued with the Assisi Underground. In 1943, he led Jewish refugees towards the Swiss Alps himself. He cycled pulling a wagon with a secret compartment, telling patrols it was just part of his training. Bartali told his son Andrea only that "One does these things and then that's that". In June 2012 a book about Bartali's wartime activities, Road To Valor by Aili and Andres McConnon, was published. I strongly recommend this book, you can buy it from amazon. In 2013 Yad Vashem recognized Gino Bartali the title of Righteous Among the Nations. He is a central figure in the 2014 documentary My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes.

Early 20th journalists started creating nicknames for the cyclists. This effort popularized the cycling sport and make the racers interesting to the people who were not interested in cycling much. This tradition is still continuing today. Here the list of cyclists’ nicknames in alphabetical order (by surname, starting with B):

By Surname: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W

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