It might sound unbelievable, but Fausto Coppi, the third Campionissio of the Italian cycling, one of the greatest legends of the sport
rode Tour de France only 3 times.
From our rather nostalgic point of view it appears as a longer period. But no. It happened only three times between 1949 and 1952. So big is his impact on road cycling history.
Let's see the most important infos about the Tour de France editions Fausto Coppi competed.
Tour de France 1949
Many consider the race in 1949 the best Tour de France ever.
A few weeks earlier, Coppi already won the Giro d'Italia and was prepearing for the first Giro-Tour double victory ever. It wasn't an easy ride, not only for him but also for his teammates, especially Gino Bartali. Team manager Alfredo Binda (another great cycling legend on his own, also the second Campionissimo of Italian cycling) had to exploit all his diplomatic skills to make the Italian team working.
In the end, Coppi won the race and became the first cyclist ever to win Giro d'Italia and Tour de France in the same year.
Lists of Giro - Tour double winners >>
Tour de France 1951
This was the year of Hugo Koblet's surprise overall victory. The Swiss rider managed to finish a more than 100 km long solo ride in the 11 stage. All the favourites, including Fausto Coppi, Louison Bobet, Raphaël Geminiani, Gino Bartali, Fiorenzo Magni miscalculated his action.
Obviously, after the sudden death of his brother, Serse, Fausto Coppi had other thoughts in his mind. One of the reasons of his (relatively) poor performance (10th place in the GC), was that he was burried deep in his grieving. On the other hand, his teribble day in the saddle in the 14th stage happened rather due a food poisoning.
Tour de France 1952
Fauto Coppi was so dominant at Tour de France 1952, that the organizers had to double the prize money for the 2nd place for making the competition exciting again.
He was great not only in the general classification, but won all the three hilltop finishes of the race, making him first conquerer of both Alpe d'Huez and Puy de Dôme. (The third moutain top was in Sestriére, although a famous place in the history of Tour de France, yet not a legendary ascent)
More about Puy de Dôme first time at Tour de France >>
5 iconic Alpe d'Huez moments >>
Alpe d'Huez, the instant classic >>
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It might sound unbelievable, but Fausto Coppi, the third Campionissio of the Italian cycling, one of the greatest legends of the sport rode Tour de France only 3 times. From our rather nostalgic point of view it appears as a longer period. But no. It happened only three times between 1949 and 1952. So big … Read more
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