Italian cyclist Franco Bitossi earned the nickname “Crazy heart” (“Cuore matto”) due to a cardiac arrhythmia which often forced him to stop midway in a cycling race.
Bitossi, born in 1940, was professional between 1961 and 1978. He was considered a very attack-friendly cyclist, who was also excellent in the mountains. His first big success was to win the king of the mountains competition of Giro d’Italia in 1964. In that year, he also won 4 stages and finished 10th overall at the Italian grand tour.
Between 1964 and 1975 he won a total of 21 Giro d’Italia stages, 3 times the mountain competition (1964, 1965, 1966) and twice the points classification (1969, 1970). His best result in the general classification was a 7th place (1965 and 1970).
He has some success at Tour de France too. 4 individual stages (2 in 1966 and other two in 1968), winner of the points classification and the combination classification in the same year (1968). That year he finished 8th in the general classification.
Franco Bitossi finished 2nd in a very tight race against his conpatriot Marino Basso at the UCI Road World Championship in 1972. He also has a 3rd place from 1977.
Bitossi is a two-time Monument winner (Giro di Lombardia, 1967, 1970) and won a few multiple stage races too.
His last professional race was the Giro dell’Emilia in 1978, what was also Felice Gimondi’s last professional race.