Tag: Ronde van Vlaanderen

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Hour Record Cycling Records History and Legends

Eddy Merckx’s Hour Record in 1972 [Video]

Eddy Merckx hour record, 1972
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”[1], the Giro d’Italia, the Tour de France (both general classification and points classification), and another monument, Giro di Lombardia (currently “Il Lombardia”) as well as many other races. Then he attacked the Hour Record.

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 classification), and another monument, Giro di Lombardia (currently “Il Lombardia“) as well as many other races.

Then he attacked the Hour Record.

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Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders) Classics Races

Passion for cycling

A child is waiting for the peloton.
A child is waiting for the peloton at Tour of Flanders.

An anonymous but very beautiful photo… One of the best cycling-related photos, which contains no bike.

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History and Legends

Fiorenzo Magni dies aged 91

Fiorenzo Magni, Giro 1956
In the 1956 Giro d'Italia, Fiorenzo Magni crashed during stage 12 and broke his left clavicle. The Giro was only at the half-way point with a total of 23 stages. Magni refused hospital treatment and continued the race with his shoulder bound with an elastic bandage. The picture shows the Italian rider during stage 13 holding a piece of rubber inner tube (attached to his handlebar stem) between his teeth for extra leverage. Due to problems with handling the bike while injured, on stage 16, Magni fell again on a descent. He was unable to use his left arm, and he could only effectively brake and steer with his right hand. The unbelievable fact is: Magni finished the 1956 Giro in 2nd place only 3 minutes and 27 seconds behind Luxembourg's Charly Gaul.

Italian cycling legend, “Lion of Flanders” Fiorenzo Magni dies aged 91 today. Also known as the “third man” in Italy during the era of rivalry between Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali, reportedly passed away peacefully in his sleep at his home in Monza, to the north of Milan.

Born near Prato in 1920, Magni won the Giro d’Italia three times: in 1948, 1951 and 1955. The third of those victories was taken at the age of 34, making him the oldest winner of the race to this day.

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