Fausto Coppi, Campionissimo, Champion of Champions.
This guy is in my opinion probably the greatest. Yes, I know Eddy Merckx has a better palmares, the best ever, but when I consider that Coppi's carreer was broken by World War Two, won his first Giro when he was 20 years old and his last when he was 33. He rode until his late 30's. Only God knows how many more things he could have won had he not lost 5 years during the war. He won 5 Giros, 2 Tours, (was 2nd many other times), world champion, hour record, and many more other races and records.
Check video:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owncvjlG2Ws"]YouTube - Fausto Coppi - Ricordo dell'indimenticabile "Campionissimo"[/ame]
Learn more about Fausto here:
Fausto Coppi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 1952, he made the record climbing Alpe d'Huez in 45' 22". A record that lasted for more than 30 years!!!!!!!!!! Just to make you an idea, Lemond and Hinault were slower in 1986!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today's best riders with the best doping, bikes, trainning, etc, etc, are only 6-7 minutes faster!!!
.. and if anybody of you thinks that he just won because back then all riders sucked so much. Let me just remember you his greatest rival, a guy named Gino Bartali who is another great in the history of cycling and whose career was also ruined by the war. Bartali won the 1938 TdF, then had to spend 5 years doing nothing, and yet he came back and won the 1948 TdF, ten years later. CLASS!!!
... and yes he doped. So what!!!!!!!!!! This guy would have destroyed Armstrong, Contador, and anybody else today with or without drugs.
Fausto, Ciao.
This guy is in my opinion probably the greatest. Yes, I know Eddy Merckx has a better palmares, the best ever, but when I consider that Coppi's carreer was broken by World War Two, won his first Giro when he was 20 years old and his last when he was 33. He rode until his late 30's. Only God knows how many more things he could have won had he not lost 5 years during the war. He won 5 Giros, 2 Tours, (was 2nd many other times), world champion, hour record, and many more other races and records.
Check video:
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owncvjlG2Ws"]YouTube - Fausto Coppi - Ricordo dell'indimenticabile "Campionissimo"[/ame]
Learn more about Fausto here:
Fausto Coppi - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In 1952, he made the record climbing Alpe d'Huez in 45' 22". A record that lasted for more than 30 years!!!!!!!!!! Just to make you an idea, Lemond and Hinault were slower in 1986!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today's best riders with the best doping, bikes, trainning, etc, etc, are only 6-7 minutes faster!!!
.. and if anybody of you thinks that he just won because back then all riders sucked so much. Let me just remember you his greatest rival, a guy named Gino Bartali who is another great in the history of cycling and whose career was also ruined by the war. Bartali won the 1938 TdF, then had to spend 5 years doing nothing, and yet he came back and won the 1948 TdF, ten years later. CLASS!!!
... and yes he doped. So what!!!!!!!!!! This guy would have destroyed Armstrong, Contador, and anybody else today with or without drugs.
Fausto, Ciao.