Saturday,
February 16, 2008
The Cycling Worlds '08
in September - The Art of Winning, Italians Do It Best
Italy just can't get enough World Champions - The Italian love
affair with world champions is a national obsession, from soccer to Formula
One, being the best of the best is the ultimate goal for many of the country’s
top sports stars, and for a relatively small
population, they do have their fair share. This is never more obvious than with
cycling’s World Road Race crown.
Italy is second only to Belgium in the
number of Pro World Road
titles. Italy's World Champs include Alfredo Binda in 1927, Learco Guerra in 1931, Coppi and Bartali’s in the 40's and 50's, Fausto
Coppi in 1953, Ercole
Baldini in 1958, Vittorio Adornio
in 1968, Marino Basso
in 1972, Felice Gimondi in 1973, Francesco Moser
in 1977, Beppe
Saronni in 1982, Moreno Argentin in 1986,
Maurizio Fondriest
in 1988.
The
early 90's saw Gianni Bugno
achieve consecutive wins, followed by Mario Cipollini
in 2002. Currently Paulo Bettini is writing history with his gold
collection, and if he does manage to take double Olympic wins this season and a
third consecutive world title
Worlds '08:
The Art of Winning, Italians Do It Best
Pez Cycling News
By Nick O'Brien
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Italy just can't get enough World Champions - As I look down the 2008 Calendar, one event to savour is the Worlds this September in Varese, Italy -
cyclings spiritual home and with Bettini
defending "his" title, this is going to be one race not to miss.
The Italian love affair with world champions is a national obsession, from
football to Formula One, being the best of the best is
the ultimate goal for many of the countrys top sports stars, and for a
relatively small population, they do have their fair share. This is never
more obvious than with cyclings World Road Race crown, and whilst I'm sure there are many reasons for their continued
success, my own favourite theory is that being the
best in the world is what every Latin male believes he is from birth!
I say this with total respect, (and an Italian wife), but the majority of
Italian boys are convinced from an early age by their mothers that the world
revolves around them... so its only a short stop to then convince
yourself that you're the best.
Then armed with this inbuilt confidence they start to apply it into other areas
of their lives, including sport if they have the talent, so when it comes time
for the 'worlds' p erformance they have
the inbuilt advantage of already thinking they are numero
uno, number one. Simple as it may sound I'm sure this plays no small part in why being world
champion is so revered and important to them... unfortunately it also manifests
itself in less talented Italians convincing themselves they are also the best
at almost everything else, but we'll
leave that to Freud.
But enough theory lets look at the facts. Second only to Belgium in the
number of Pro World Road titles, the very first wearer of the Rainbow
jersey was Alfredo Binda in 1927, a true legend, as if winning
the title for himself 3 times was not enough, he later became National coach
and masterminded many of Coppi and
Bartolis Grand Tour wins in the
40's and 50's
which kind of makes him a cycling God even today, a decade after he died.
The role of National coach is still a position held in the utmost esteem, and
whilst it can be a poison chalice, get the result and you are made. From the
Tifosi to the Press everyone has an opinion and the
weeks leading up to selection for the squad play out like a reality TV show,
with everyone from wives & girlfriends to the bloke who once beat Daniel Di Luca in a grade
school 'egg & spoon' race chucking in their half pennies worth.
It does make for a great build up
though and illustrates the national pride they have in THEIR squadra. The only other Italian to win the
title in the early days was Learco Guerra, who won in 1931 at Copenhagen,
the following year Binda took his record third
victory in front of a partisan crowd in Rome.
The love affair had begun, but it was not until twenty years later that the
true scale of this affair was revealed. Varese was the venue in 1951 and
a massive 1.5 million fans lined the route to see the Swiss Ferdi
Kubler beat homeboy Fiorenzo Magn i. Magni
later blamed a mix up with team mates for his defeat, but the race is still
remembered as one of the greats and still holds the record for number of
spectators - (I'll be exploring
the Varese effect in a later article).
In 1953 Fausto Coppi
restored national pride winning in Lugano,
Switzerland followed in 1958
by Ercole Baldini
in Reims. Ten years later and the worlds were
back on home turf at Imola with Vittorio Adornio
obliging with the biggest win of his career. Marino Basso sprinted to the title at Gap in
1972 and a year later Italy
again delivered with Felice Gimondi winning in Barcelona. 1977 saw the the
worlds really living up to its name with the first championship outside of
Europe in San Cristobal, Venezuela won by the superb Francesco Moser, enabling
him to start adding oh so cool rainbow decals to his bikes, a tradition that
was used from the early days and is now taken to the extreme with the likes of Bettini 'branding' up with total rainbow coverage from shoes to
sunglasses.
Talking of fashion faux pas, if you do see a weekend warrrior
flying along a Milano strada
in full replica world Champ kit its not what it seems, most likely it is
the 'real thing' as Replica Rainbow is a huge Non Non! in Italy, which goes to show what high
respect the title holds.- you've got
to earn the right to wear that jersey.
Next ...My personal all time favourite Italian world
champion has got to be Beppe Saronni, winner in
1982 at glorious Goodwood, he personified what a
world champion should look and act like for me, on top of his Claret Colnago, slicked back hair, immaculate on and off the bike,
his season as world champion was ridden at the highest level. Proud as a
peacock in "his" jersey, he still rates it as one of his best wins
from a huge palmares. 1986 saw the Worlds in th e US
with Colorado Springs and Moreno Argentin
doing the honours, whilst Maurizio Fondriest
got on the top step in 1988 at Ronse, Belgium.
The early 90's saw Gianni Bugno
achieve a guaranteed free grappa in any bar he entered for the rest of his life
with consecutive wins in Stuttgart & Benidorm,
followed in 2002 at Zolder by Mario Cipollini
with a win that helped crown "il re leone" as one of the best road sprinters of all time,
he obviously respected the title in his own way, as its rumoured he commissioned a rainbow coloured
Brietling watch to celebrate - pure Cipo bling.
Finally, and bringing us right up to date, Paulo Bettini is
currently writing history with his gold collection, and if he does manage to
take double Olympic wins this season and a third consecutive world title (and I
wouldn't bet against it ) you can
only imagine the celebrations that the Tifosi will be
throwing - just don't invite Mama.
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