16 September 2022

Giro di Lombardia, the last of the Five Monuments

By Anneke Rietveld History
Giovanni Gerbi, Giro di Lombardia 1905
The Giro di Lombardia (Tour of Lombardy), is traditionally the last of the five 'Monuments' of the season. Tour of Lombardy concludes the famous "Five Monuments" (Milan-San Remo, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Liège-Bastogne-Liège, and Giro di Lombardia), the oldest, toughest, and most renowned one-day races in men's road cycling. The Giro di Lombardia, also known as the Autumn Classic or the Race of the Falling Dead Leaves, takes place every year in late September or early October. A famous race, and the footprints of a journalist again Similar to the Tour de France and Giro d'Italia journalists and newspapers played...
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15 August 2022

Vuelta a España record holders

By shamim kordbache History
Tony Rominger, Mapei Clas 1994 / RECORDHOUDERS VUELTA A ESPAÑA
  The Grand Tour trilogy was not completed until 1935, when, following the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the Vuelta a España was organised in Spain. It took a long time for the Vuelta to be recognized as one of the most important UCI World Tour events. This event was disrupted for several years in the beginning due to various issues such as the Spanish Civil War, World War II, and even poor organisation. However, the Spanish tour is considered now as prestigious as the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, and every cyclist...
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29 July 2022

Luis Ocaña and the other side of the medal

By shamim kordbache History
Luis Ocaña -Tour de France 1973
It was mourned on May 24, 1994, at Notre-Dame des Cyclistes in Labastide d'Armagnac, France. It was the funeral of Tour and Vuelta winner Luis Ocaña. On May 19, 1994, at the age of 48, Luis Ocaña ended his life with a gunshot through the head. According to the story, the depressed Luis suffered from hepatitis-B and cancer and could no longer bear life. The Spanish mountain king and time trial specialist was honoured with a stained glass window and a green marble plaque at Notre-Dame des Cyclistes. The drama of  life Luis Ocaña's life was not always rosy. He...
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15 July 2022

The Tour de France changes over time

By shamim kordbache History
De eerste route van de Tour de France, 1903
Before July, 1903, nothing like the Tour de France had ever been attempted. 60 men, mostly French, mounted their bicycles outside a café in Paris. The challenge of embarking on an unprecedented endurance without knowing the prize money of 20,000 francs brought all of these cyclists together. Henri Desgrange, a French cyclist and journalist, organised this endurance race, which was sponsored for advertising purposes by the newspaper L'Auto (now L'Equipe). Thus, the legendary Tour de France has begun. However, the Tour de France, like everything else in the world, has undergone many changes over time.
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10 June 2022

La Grande Boucle: The history of Tour de France

By shamim kordbache History
Eugène Christophe met de eerste gele trui, 1919
The world's largest cycling race, a national landmark that France values almost as much as the  Eiffel Tower and its 360 cheeses! Nothing compares with La Grande Boucle (French for The Great  Loop and Tour de France nickname) in the world of cycling. For more than a century, the Tour de  France has taken place over a three-week period every summer (except during warfare). It is  remarkable in that it draws over 12 million spectators along the streets, in addition to millions of  people watching on television from all around the world.
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29 April 2022

FRENCHMEN AT THE GIRO

By Elien Kaes History
FRANSMANNEN IN DE GIRO
The Giro d'Italia has been won by a French rider a total of seven times, making France the third most victorious rider at the Giro over time. The Maglia Rosa was won by three great riders: Jacques Anquetil (2x), Bernard Hinault (3x) and Laurent Fignon (1x).
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