Cycling's Greatest Rivalry (part 2)

Book-ending the Second World War is what is known today as the golden age of cycling. The divisive rivalry between 2 great Italian cyclists, Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi also coincided with that era.

Their rivalry started when the domestique Coppi won the 1940 Giro d’Italia over his team captain, Bartali. Then a few months later, riding as teammates for Italy in the World Championships, both got off their bikes rather than help each other. The Italian Cycling Association was so angry it suspended both for 3 months. Tim Hilton of the Guardian said that from that time on, “The two riders were in personal combat – it often seemed that, as fierce rivals, they cared less about winning a race than beating each other.”

Italy in the 1950’s was a conservative country and Coppi’s relationship with a married woman drew criticism not only from his countrymen but from Pope Pious XII. The Pope asked Coppi to return to his wife and when he didn’t, Pope Pious XII refused to bless the 1954 Giro.

Coppi wasn’t shy when asked about his use of performance enhancing drugs. In an interview, he said that he only used it whenever it was necessary. When asked when it was necessary, he replied, “Almost all the time!”

Coppi died in 1960 from malaria, a disease he got from Africa during the war where he served with the Italian Infantry. But there were rumors that he was poisoned.

If not for Eddy Merckx, Coppi would have been the GOAT – greatest of all time. He won the Giro five times, a record he shared with Merckx and another great, Alfredo Binda and the Tour de France, twice. He also won most of the classics and held the hour record for 14 years until Jaques Anquetil broke it in 1956.

There is one picture of Coppi and Bartali taken during the Tour de France on the stage to Izoard where bith were riding side by side. Coppi, who was a few inches forward, is looking forward with his right hand reaching to his back. Bartali is looking down and his right hand is forward, holding a water bottle. Looking at this picture, it would be impossible to tell who was the recipient and the giver of the bottle. But both claimed that he was giving the bottle to the other. Bartali would however say, “I did. He never gave me anything”.

Today, the rivalry rages on.

2009 Giro d’Italia

Unless a disaster happens, Russian Denis Menchov will win the Giro. He was able to stay with Danilo di Luca in the high mountains and used his exceptional time-trialling to distance himself from di Luca. Levi Leipheimmer, Lance Armstrong’s teammate and pre-race favorite, was badly outclassed. Hopefully, he can recover in time for the Tour this July.

Lance Update

Lance was actually better in the 3rd week. In the most difficult stage 16, he attacked the Maglia Rosa but was eventually caught and dropped by Menchov and di Luca. I hope it was a portent of things to come. But it was painful to see Lance getting dropped after an attack. You rarely see him in that situation when he rode the Tour.

RACE RESULTS MANDAUE  CRIT May 30, 2009

1- HEIDE ESMALIN, 2- CALIXTO CRUZ, 3- ALLAN DUNGOG, 4-NANIE QUIJANO , 5- RONALD NAVARRO, 6- RONALD RODRIGUEZ, 7- RONALD YU

Finally, Greg Lemond was asked what he was thinking during the final TT stage of the 1989 Tour de France when he beat Laurent Fignon by 58 seconds (and 8 seconds overall): “I didn’t think, I just rode.”  - THE FREEMAN