has not been a rivalry in the classic sense that between the French and Italian Gastone Nencini Louison Bobet, the stars of cycling at the turn of the fifties and sixties. A bit 'for reasons why a lot of character and the career of the Tuscan was for life and wealth of Palmares, below the expectations raised by its class.
had talent in abundance also Breton, a predestined pedal but never stopped working on with the same tenacity and determination. Qualities that not even lacked the Lion of the Mugello, which just could not save. In racing as in life.
Their big battleground was the Tour of Italy in 1957, an edition full of emotions and that will be decided on the very edge of the latter. Nineteen, to be precise.
BIG CLASH, THE TURN OF 1957
A year later stage from the horde who delivered Charly Gaul to the myth, it is the strongest climber Bondone make Luxembourg the big loser of the Giro. The Tour of Italy in 1957 it won the Gastone Nencini, who takes revenge after so the insult suffered two years ago, when Magni and Bent had attacked him, taking advantage of its drilling.
Again the Giro is decided in the final and so sensational, with the "Lion of the Mugello" at the end of the check against the new rival: the Frenchman Louison Bobet. In
Como-Bondone, 19th stage, Gaul is pink jersey. In places Ospitaletto the leader of stops to fulfill a need, "physiological". And that's when the attack is unleashed Bobet, which engage and Nencini neoprofessionista Ercole Baldini. The group broke up, Gaul remained behind and eventually will come on top of the Bondone with the first ten minutes of posting. Nencini takes the pink jersey and then defend it until the end, with 19 "lead over Bobet, second. Sounds like the beginning
a long and passionate rivalry, but the career of Tuscany - which will reach the pinnacle by winning the Tour de France in 1960 - will not keep all the promises.
NENCINI STORY
Bilancino Fiorentino, Barberino del Mugello, where he was born on March 1, 1930, Gastone Nencini won in 24 career races including the Tour of Italy stand out in 1957 and the Tour de France 1960. In the three Valleys trophy also Varesine of 1956, the Tour of Calabria in 1957 and the Grand Prix in Nice in 1960. Excellent
passista-climber and downhill skier, a professional from 1953 to 1965, is nicknamed "the Lion of the Mugello" for the courage and the fury that competitive running led him to give everything, without calculation, sometimes bringing unpredictable attacks and even foolish. And on many occasions simply unlucky.
in Lugano in 1953 comes to a step from the amateur world title. Alone in the lead, after several escape attempts, it reached its goal on another blue, Riccardo Filippi, who then beat in the sprint.
In 1955 he lost by a narrow margin, and in a non-sporty, the Tour of Italy. In the pink jersey in two stages from the end, still on foot by a puncture and is attacked by Fiorenzo Magni, who then win that edition, and Fausto Coppi. The two defectors arrive in San Pellegrino without the group, including fellow Nencini, try to at least going to take them back.
Gaston goes back in 1957 thanks to the attack - led by Bobet, Geminiani and Baldini - the pink jersey Gaul, and the courageous descent of the pass. The victory appears to be proper recognition for the lack of success of the first two years. At the 1958 World
Gaston plays an important work for the fellow in blue Ercole Baldini, world champion in front of Reims just Bobet, according to 2'09 "from Romagna.
Thanks to its extraordinary quality of downhill Nencini won the Tour in 1960, in the edition which does not indicate a successful stop, but he won when his main rival, Frenchman Roger Riviere, in an attempt to keep up with the wheel sharply, falls - with tragic consequences - in a ravine.
THE TOUR OF 1960 The
Roger Rivière at the start of the Tour de France of 1960 is in condition prodigious. But in the end, unfortunately the image that remains indelible in the memories of all is that of the Frenchman lying motionless on the branches, down the slope. escarpment in the chase during the yellow jersey Nencini, during the stage-Millau Avignon, the French make a wrong turn down the slope of the hill of Perjuret. All for one week after the race, since there just made explosive by the imposing Rivière.
between Lorient and Saint-Malo had launched a tough offensive against the partner Henri Anglade, at that moment leader of the championship. After the success in Lorient and Pau, Roger aimed to limit the damage to the Alps to play my best in the 19th stage time trial in Besançon from Pontarlier. But the damn fall will prevent him from play. And so it is up to Nencini triumph in yellow at the Parc des Princes, with 5'2 "on another Italian, Graziano Battistini. The flowers of the winner will then be deposited on the hospital bed on which lies Rivière, whose career had been broken down in the crowds.
THE EARLY SUNSET
won the "Grande Boucle", although only thirty, for a premature start Nencini the sudden decline. The reluctance to submit to strict rules the life of an athlete and some unfortunate episode (on all the disastrous fall on the cross of Calenzano followed by a long break and a difficult recovery) led him to four years of melancholy sunset.
In 1965, the last of 13 seasons in pro ', is called by Bartolozzi Filotex to do for the young hen. Closed career, is the sports director of professional teams, and Springoil Max Mayer. In 1969, his runner, Claudio Michelotto, close to victory in the Tour of Italy finishing in second place, 3'35 "behind winner Gimondi.
Nencini died in Florence on February 1, 1980 for an incurable disease that, in a few months, it had undermined the very strong temper.
Bobet STORY
Born in Brittany, Saint-Méen-le-Grand, March 12, 1925, Louis Bobet is one of the foremost artists of cycling gold of the 50s. Thanks to his temperament as a fighter and extraordinary courage, collect a prize list of the most important in the history of cycling and has become one of the most loved by the French riders.
When Louis-Pierre-Marie is 21 months, hanging on the fireplace for Christmas is a biciclettina on which, three months later, begin to pedal. Abandoned
loves youth sports - football (to be promising midfielder right) and table tennis (played in the OCC, a company which also includes father and mother Celine Louis), continues working in the bakery his father, getting up at five in the morning to move bags of flour a quintal. A work that strengthens the parent awards and a racing bike "Stella."
Louis Jr. reads all of the Tour and is passionate about the exploits of Bartali at the "Grande Boucle" in 1938. Meanwhile, he runs with the so-called "non-redundant" and in 1942 won the first race, in Montauban. A year later in Lamballe beats all in a race official.
During the Second World War, joining a resistance group in 1944 that captures an ambulance and prisoner is a German colonel. Participate in activities organized to flush out Nazi troops from Lorient. Is enlisted in the 41st Regiment Infantry and learn discipline.
amateur champion of France in 1946, passes professional a year later, just 22 years old, and gets away, May 12, the unexpected triumph in the classic Boucles de la Seine 260 km, removing all before entering the rink with a Buffalo advantage of over 6 '.
technical director Leo Veron convenes for the Tour de France - then reserved for national teams - clashes with the harshness of the Alps, and was forced to retire. It is on this occasion that he is saddled with the nickname Louison, when, after a fall in the stage of Digne, indulges in a crying on the side of the road and retired.
In 1948, he again the "Grande Boucle", called the new Maurice Archambaud dt, this time with the goal to win, but the infection in the foot prevents him from keeping the yellow jersey, won the Cannes-Sanremo. The ambitious champion Breton, who had won the stage in Biarritz, seemed destined to fly to Paris in yellow jersey and instead will be swept away by Hurricane Bartali, ruler of three consecutive stages when crossing the Alps The French resist, however, until eventually finishing 4th at 32 'from Ginettaccio that, ten years after the first success, he returned the king of France.
Bobet has better luck in the races online. In 1950 he won his first great success as a professional French National Championship. The following year, there is the Milan-San Remo. Bevilacqua mocked by the Italian at the finish line of the Paris-Roubaix, Louison draws at the end of the season by winning the Giro di Lombardia. But the appointment with the "Queen of the pave" has only been postponed.
skipped the Tour of '52 for an error in preparation, in that at the start of 1953 Bobet is well aware of its strength and supported by a team at his disposal. Sbaraglia with disarming ease the opposition of the Swiss compatriot Jean Robic and Hugo Koblet; the Izoard, which had been fatal in its first appearance at the Tour, this time established him as the king of rock climbers. And so, the sixth attempt, Breton finally wins his first Tour de France.
1954 and for the year dell'apoteosi Louison, not only repeating the triumph in the "Grande Boucle", this time beating the English climber Federico Bahamontes right on the big climbs, but also won the World Championship in Solingen, Germany , before the Swiss Fritz Schaer.
Bobet is now assumed the role of an idol of the French. Tour of '55, offers fans one of the most beautiful pages in the history of cycling, undermined by the emerging Charly Gaul, the Alps, which has trimmed a quarter of an hour of posting, Louison seems on the verge of collapse, even because of a painful wound to soprassella. On the day of ascent to Mont Ventoux, two-time French champion, also won that year's Tour of Flanders, shows off his huge class and all. And the third success in the Tour enters the elite of famous.
In 1956, without having disposed of the aftermath of surgery to soprassella suffered the previous November, participate in the Vuelta but retreat and then must give up the Tour de France. Save the season, however imposing in the Paris-Roubaix, after putting down the shots to repeat the Belgian Rik Van Steenbergen.
The 1957 is a year for the trans black, studded with four second places: at the National Criterium, the Belgian World of Waregem (Van Steenbergen won dall'idolo home), the Paris-Tours (behind another Belgian, Fred De Bruyne) and, above all, the Tour of Italy.
In that edition of the Giro Bobet was beaten by Gastone Nencini for only 19 seconds. The French team, however, the charge of misconduct Italian fans, who are accused of pushing, climbing, their riders and the obstruction of those opponents. Bobet closes the season without a win and the next, with consecutive second place at the World Cup (won in Reims, France, from light Ercole Baldini), marks the beginning of the decline to Louison.
the end of his career, however, is evidenced by a non-competitive event: Bobet decide the following automobile accident in which the victim December 15, 1961, in Montry, with his brother John, returning from a charity event in Brussels. By Jean opened a factory in thalassotherapy. He died of cancer, in Biarritz, March 13, 1983, the day after completing 58 years.
DAWN OF A NEW ERA
Brave, strong-willed, meticulous, forward: these are recurring adjectives Louison Bobet. A worker who was able to build the bicycle champion, day after day, with an innate ability to suffer in the race and out.
Rules aside, the same features for its fleeting rival Gastone Nencini, just pure talent but in the race attacked perhaps even when not needed. And as they went close to the severe restrictions of the typical life of an athlete.
Together they nevertheless marked an era, one that marked the transition from cycling hero of World War II to the modern. Giving, in the process, companies and memorable emotions.
CHRISTIAN GIORDANO
ch.giord @ gmail.com
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