Most popular posts from the history of road cycling on PelotonTales during the previous week
Roger Riviére, the talented cyclist with a tragically short professional career
Rivière, who already competed the Tour de France previous year (and won a stage), was a careless kind of a talent. When he made his move on the 6th stage, he was told by team manager Marcel Bidot to give up his attack, because the riders could go with him, Gastone Nencini and Jan Adriaensens considered to be too dangerous opponents, he ignored the advice. As Henry Anglade later commented his behaviour, most likely this was the moment when the French team lost the Tour de France that year.
Gustaaf Deloor, the winner of the first two editions of Vuelta a Espana
The first edition was held in 1935. The race started on 29th April, included 14 stages and finished on the 15th of May. Only 50 cyclists entered the event and 29 finished.
Due to the rainy weather, the Belgian riders were expected to have the best result. Indeed, the Belgian Gustaaf Deloor took the lead on the 3rd stage and kept it until the end of the race in Madrid.
An instant classic among the most liked PelotonTales posts: Aldo Moser on the Stelvio (1965)
After Coppi’s untimely death in 1960, the organizers of the Giro d’Italia created a special prize for the climber who reach the top of the highest peak of the race first. The prize was introduced in 1965. Due to its height, this special climb is usually the Passo dello Stelvio.
But the 20th stage of the Giro d’Italia 1965 is more memorable by the epic snowy images of the day. Among extreme winter circumstances, the riders had to ride between steep walls of snow. They had to make their way to the finish like by dismounting and running with their bikes.
MORE FACES FROM THE PELOTON ON PELOTONTALES
Faces from the peloton: Luigi Marchisio (1909-1992)
In the year when Giro d’Italia organizers decided to pay Alfredo Binda for not to participate the race, a 21-year-young neo-pro rider, Luigi Marchisio had the chance of his lifetime in the Legnano team. And that’s it. This is pretty much his story, because besides winning the Giro d’Italia in 1930, he had very few … Read more
Faces from the peloton: Luigi Malabrocca (1920-2006)
Although nowadays Luigi Malabrocca is remembered by the unheroic fight for the maglia nera, the last place of the Giro d’Italia, he also managed to earn some real victories during his professional career between 1945 and 1958. Malabrocca, usually one of the domestiques for Fausto Coppi during road cycling races, was a two-time Italian cyclocross … Read more
Faces from the peloton: Olimpio Bizzi (1916-1976)
The youngest Giro-stage winner ever, Olimpio Bizzi (1916-1976) was active as professional cyclist between 1936 and 1952. Practically, he was racing in the shadow of the greatest generation of Italian cyclists, including Learco Guerra, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, or Giorenzo Magni Nevertheless, Bizzi had his own successes during his career. Besides some minor one-day race … Read more
Cyrille Van Hauwaert (Faces from the peloton)
Cyrille Van Hauwaert (1883-1974) was one of the most successful Belgian cyclist in the pre -WW1 era. His story began like a folktale. The big and strong Flemish farm boy, who didn’t speak French arrived in the office of the La Française team’s directeur sportif, Pierre Pierrard two days before Paris-Roubaix in 1907. Van Hauwaert … Read more
Faces from the peloton: Victor Fontan (1892-1982)
A cyclist running while carrying his bike on his shoulder. Surely, you’ve seen this vintage cycling image several times. Now it’s time to learn a bit more about the protagonist of the picture. Victor Fontan (1892-1982) in the Faces from the peloton series of PelotonTales blog. A local rider World War I (as did World … Read more
Faces from the peloton: Hippolyte Aucouturier (1876-1944)
Although the idea of a French cyclist in a striped shirt might seem like a little bit of a cliché, sometimes stereotypes are carrying quite much truth in themselves. Just take a look at Hippolyte Aucouturier! One of the most iconic characters from the early days of road cycling races. Nevertheless, he was not only … Read more
Faces from the peloton: Raymond Delisle (1943-2013)
Raymond Delisle was one of those cyclists who was always lurking around the favourites in the most important and/or most iconic Tour de France stages without having significant success. Delisle started his professional career in 1965 in team Peugeot, where he was racing till 1976. (His last year as professional cyclist he spent with the … Read more
MORE ICONIC IMAGES ABD THE STORY BEHIND
Bernard Hinault’s epic solo ride in the snow (Liège-Bastogne-Liège 1980)
On the afternoon of the 20th April 1980, while a little girl, called Anita Pethő ( the author of PelotonTales blog) was born in a small town in North-West Hungary, on the other part of Europe, in Belgium, Bernard Hinault delivered one of the most iconic victories in the history of the Monuments. Snow can … Read more
Who were the smoking cyclists at Tour de France 1927
The smoking cyclists of Tour de France 1927 is one of the most famous vintage cycling images from the heydays of road cycling races. It’s popular because it conveys a certain aspect of the many differences between our time and the life hundred years ago. The dissonance between our 21st-centurian knowledge that smoking is very … Read more
The grumpy cyclist with the broken bicycle – Giusto Cerutti at Tour de France 1928
Giusto Cerutti (1903-1993) had at least one bad day at the Tour de France in 1928.We don’t know much about the grumpy cyclist with the broken bicycle. But one thing is sure, he is the unlucky (anti)hero of one of the most searched vintage cycling images on the internet.According to ProCyclingStats, Cerutti abandoned the race … Read more
Iconic Cycling Images: Bernard Thévenet after a crash (Tour de France 1972)
The race in 1972 was Bernard Thévenet’s second Tour de France. In his devutant year, in 1971 he finished fifth in the general classification and also won stage. It was a bit of a surprise performance, but in the subsequent year he was considered as one of the favourites. The 7th stage of Tour de France … Read more
André Leducq and Antonin Magne crossing the finish line together (Tour de France 1938)
Before Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault on the top of Alpe d’Huez, there were André Leducq and Antonin Magne in Paris. Two dominant French riders from the first part of the 1930s, both Leducq (1930 and 1932) and Magne (1931 and 1934) won the Tour de France twice. In the very last stage of Tour … Read more
Cyclists are having a little break and drinking beer at Tour de France 1921
From our special 21st centurian point of view, it’s hard to imagine the atmosphere of Tour de France in 1921, when it seemed totally normal to have a little break and some drink during the race. Although Tour de France was always a professional race, some solutions seem in our very modern eyes a bit … Read more
Felicien Vervaecke’s bad luck (Tour de France 1936)
A Tour de France stage in the Pyrenees (especially, when it includes the big four, Peyresourde, Auspin, Aubisque and Tourmalet) always provides stories to tell. Belgian rider Felicien Vervaecke won the mountain competition of Tour de France twice, in 1935 and 1937. Before the 16th stage (Peyresourde, Tourmalet, Aspin, Aubisque) in 1936, he was 4 … Read more