Costante Girardengo
Encyclopedia
Costante Girardengo was an Italian
professional road bicycle racer, considered by many to be one of the finest riders in the history of the sport. He was the first rider to be declared a "Campionissimo" or "champion of champions" by the Italian media and fans. At the height of his popularity in the 1920s he was said to be more popular than Mussolini
and it was decreed that all express trains should stop in his home town Novi Ligure
, an honour only normally awarded to heads of state.
His career achievements include two wins in the Giro d'Italia
, six wins in Milan – San Remo, three wins in the Giro di Lombardia, he was also Italian road race champion on nine occasions. His professional career was extensive, lasting from 1912 to 1936 and was interrupted by World War I
which robbed Girardengo of some of his best years. He was ranked number one in the World in 1919, 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1926. He raced almost exclusively in his home country as was the custom in those days, as foreign travel was not easy. Girardengo was of only small stature and this earned him the nickname "The Novi Runt".
(province of Alessandria
, Piedmont
), Costante Girardengo turned professional in 1913 at the age of 20 for the Maino-Dunlop team after impressing as an amateur the previous year by finishing runner up in the Tour of Tuscany. He met with immediate success winning a stage in the Giro d’Italia (his first of 30 stage wins in the Giro) and becoming Italian road race champion. He repeated these successes in 1914 and also took his first of his five wins in Milano–Torino. 1914 saw Girardengo win the longest ever stage in the Giro d'Italia, a 430 kilometre leg between Lucca
and Rome
. Later that same year Girardengo took part in the Tour de France
for the only time in his career, riding as a guest for the Automoto team he crashed several times in stages five and six and abandoned the race. 1915 saw him take another win in Milano–Torino but Milan – San Remo resulted in disappointment when he was disqualified after winning the race for going off course.
Much of the professional cycle racing was stopped after 1915 because of the First World War and it was not until 1918 that Girardengo took another win, taking the first of his six victories in Milan – San Remo, a record which Eddy Merckx
eventually eclipsed over 50 years later. He also finished in the first three of the same race every year from 1917 to 1926 and was first over the Turchino Pass on five occasions. His post 1918 form was all the more remarkable as during the First World War Girardengo had contracted Spanish flu
and nearly died, his manager believing a survivor of that disease could not race properly refused at one point to renew his licence.
Girardengo took the first of his Giro d’Italia wins in 1919 (including seven stage wins), however his form in the Giro was not always good and he abandoned the race in the early stages in 1920, 1921 and 1922 before dominating in 1923. 1923 was undoubtedly Girardengo’s best year with 16 victories, he took his second Giro d’Italia win including eight of the ten stages as well as many of the top Italian one day races. Despite racing in Italy for most of his career, Girardengo had a burning desire to win Paris–Roubaix, he first raced there in 1921 but he was unlucky on several occasions, breaking his bike when well placed and never coming close to winning. In 1924 Girardengo won the GP Wolber
in France, then regarded as the unofficial World Championship.
Girardengo finished runner up in the inaugural World Championship road race
held on the Nürburgring
in Germany in 1927, the four man Italian team also included Alfredo Binda
, Gaetano Belloni
and Domenico Piemontesi
, the Italians worked perfectly as a team with Binda breaking away 20 miles from the finish to win comfortably, the Italians filled the first four places on that rainy day in Germany. He took his sixth win in Milan – San Remo in 1928 and this was his last big victory on the road although he continued riding until the 1936 season when he retired at the age of 43.
After his retirement Girardengo became involved as a coach of the professional Maino team. He also became the head coach of the Italian national squad for a time, advising Gino Bartali
when he won the 1938 Tour de France
. Later on he gave his name “Girardengo” to a brand of motorbikes manufactured between 1951 and 1954 in the northern Italian city of Alessandria
.
He has been immortalised in Italian popular culture through the critically acclaimed song "Il Bandito e il Campione" by Francesco De Gregori
that juxtaposes his life with that of his childhood friend the notorious bandit and outlaw Sante Pollastri.
He died in 1978 at Cassano Spinola
, just outside Novi Ligure
, at the age of 84.
1914
1915
1918
1919
1920
1921
1922
1923
1924
1925
1926
1928
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
professional road bicycle racer, considered by many to be one of the finest riders in the history of the sport. He was the first rider to be declared a "Campionissimo" or "champion of champions" by the Italian media and fans. At the height of his popularity in the 1920s he was said to be more popular than Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
and it was decreed that all express trains should stop in his home town Novi Ligure
Novi Ligure
Novi Ligure is a town and comune north of Genoa, in the Piedmont region of the province of Alessandria of northwest Italy.The town produces food, iron, steel, and textiles. It is an important junction for both road and railroad....
, an honour only normally awarded to heads of state.
His career achievements include two wins in the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
, six wins in Milan – San Remo, three wins in the Giro di Lombardia, he was also Italian road race champion on nine occasions. His professional career was extensive, lasting from 1912 to 1936 and was interrupted by World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
which robbed Girardengo of some of his best years. He was ranked number one in the World in 1919, 1922, 1923, 1925 and 1926. He raced almost exclusively in his home country as was the custom in those days, as foreign travel was not easy. Girardengo was of only small stature and this earned him the nickname "The Novi Runt".
Career
Born in Novi LigureNovi Ligure
Novi Ligure is a town and comune north of Genoa, in the Piedmont region of the province of Alessandria of northwest Italy.The town produces food, iron, steel, and textiles. It is an important junction for both road and railroad....
(province of Alessandria
Province of Alessandria
The Province of Alessandria is an Italian province, with a population of some 430,000, which forms the southeastern part of the region of Piedmont. The provincial capital is the city of Alessandria....
, Piedmont
Piedmont
Piedmont is one of the 20 regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,402 square kilometres and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital of Piedmont is Turin. The main local language is Piedmontese. Occitan is also spoken by a minority in the Occitan Valleys situated in the Provinces of...
), Costante Girardengo turned professional in 1913 at the age of 20 for the Maino-Dunlop team after impressing as an amateur the previous year by finishing runner up in the Tour of Tuscany. He met with immediate success winning a stage in the Giro d’Italia (his first of 30 stage wins in the Giro) and becoming Italian road race champion. He repeated these successes in 1914 and also took his first of his five wins in Milano–Torino. 1914 saw Girardengo win the longest ever stage in the Giro d'Italia, a 430 kilometre leg between Lucca
Lucca
Lucca is a city and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, situated on the river Serchio in a fertile plainnear the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the capital city of the Province of Lucca...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. Later that same year Girardengo took part in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
for the only time in his career, riding as a guest for the Automoto team he crashed several times in stages five and six and abandoned the race. 1915 saw him take another win in Milano–Torino but Milan – San Remo resulted in disappointment when he was disqualified after winning the race for going off course.
Much of the professional cycle racing was stopped after 1915 because of the First World War and it was not until 1918 that Girardengo took another win, taking the first of his six victories in Milan – San Remo, a record which Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
eventually eclipsed over 50 years later. He also finished in the first three of the same race every year from 1917 to 1926 and was first over the Turchino Pass on five occasions. His post 1918 form was all the more remarkable as during the First World War Girardengo had contracted Spanish flu
Spanish flu
The 1918 flu pandemic was an influenza pandemic, and the first of the two pandemics involving H1N1 influenza virus . It was an unusually severe and deadly pandemic that spread across the world. Historical and epidemiological data are inadequate to identify the geographic origin...
and nearly died, his manager believing a survivor of that disease could not race properly refused at one point to renew his licence.
Girardengo took the first of his Giro d’Italia wins in 1919 (including seven stage wins), however his form in the Giro was not always good and he abandoned the race in the early stages in 1920, 1921 and 1922 before dominating in 1923. 1923 was undoubtedly Girardengo’s best year with 16 victories, he took his second Giro d’Italia win including eight of the ten stages as well as many of the top Italian one day races. Despite racing in Italy for most of his career, Girardengo had a burning desire to win Paris–Roubaix, he first raced there in 1921 but he was unlucky on several occasions, breaking his bike when well placed and never coming close to winning. In 1924 Girardengo won the GP Wolber
GP Wolber
The GP Wolber was a French cycling event in the 1920s. It was considered a kind of unofficial World Championship. Only cyclists who finished in the top-3 of the major French, Italian, Belgian and Swiss races were invited. The first GP Wolber was held in 1922. When the World Cycling Championship was...
in France, then regarded as the unofficial World Championship.
Girardengo finished runner up in the inaugural World Championship road race
World Cycling Championship
The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale . The UCI Road World Championships include championships for elite men's road race and individual time trial...
held on the Nürburgring
Nürburgring
The Nürburgring is a motorsport complex around the village of Nürburg, Germany. It features a modern Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a much longer old North loop track which was built in the 1920s around the village and medieval castle of Nürburg in the Eifel mountains. It is located about...
in Germany in 1927, the four man Italian team also included Alfredo Binda
Alfredo Binda
Alfredo Binda was an Italian cyclist of the 1920s and 1930s, later trainer of Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali. Binda was the first multiple Giro d'Italia champion, securing five victories between 1925 and 1933 that redefined the way stage races were ridden...
, Gaetano Belloni
Gaetano Belloni
Gaetano Belloni was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlights of his career were his overall win in the 1920 Giro d'Italia, the two victories in Milan – San Remo , and the three victories in the Giro di Lombardia .Belloni was born at Pizzighettone, near Cremona, and made his...
and Domenico Piemontesi
Domenico Piemontesi
Domenico Piemontesi was an Italian professional road bicycle racer. He is most known for his 12 stage wins in the Giro d'Italia and his bronze medal in the Elite race of the 1927 Road World Championships....
, the Italians worked perfectly as a team with Binda breaking away 20 miles from the finish to win comfortably, the Italians filled the first four places on that rainy day in Germany. He took his sixth win in Milan – San Remo in 1928 and this was his last big victory on the road although he continued riding until the 1936 season when he retired at the age of 43.
After his retirement Girardengo became involved as a coach of the professional Maino team. He also became the head coach of the Italian national squad for a time, advising Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali
Gino Bartali, Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice and the Tour de France in 1938...
when he won the 1938 Tour de France
1938 Tour de France
The 1938 Tour de France was the 32nd Tour de France, taking place July 5 to July 31, 1938. It was composed of 21 stages over 4694 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.565 km/h...
. Later on he gave his name “Girardengo” to a brand of motorbikes manufactured between 1951 and 1954 in the northern Italian city of Alessandria
Alessandria
-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...
.
He has been immortalised in Italian popular culture through the critically acclaimed song "Il Bandito e il Campione" by Francesco De Gregori
Francesco De Gregori
Francesco De Gregori is an Italian singer-songwriter. He is popularly known as "Il Principe Poeta" , a nickname referring to the elegance of his lyrics.-1970s:...
that juxtaposes his life with that of his childhood friend the notorious bandit and outlaw Sante Pollastri.
He died in 1978 at Cassano Spinola
Cassano Spinola
Cassano Spinola is a comune in the Province of Alessandria in the Italian region Piedmont, located about 100 km southeast of Turin and about 25 km southeast of Alessandria...
, just outside Novi Ligure
Novi Ligure
Novi Ligure is a town and comune north of Genoa, in the Piedmont region of the province of Alessandria of northwest Italy.The town produces food, iron, steel, and textiles. It is an important junction for both road and railroad....
, at the age of 84.
Career highlights
1913
Italian National Road Race ChampionshipItalian National Road Race ChampionshipThe Italian National Road Race Championships are held annually. They are a cycling race which decides the Italian cycling champion in the road racing discipline, across several categories of rider. The event was first held in 1906 and was won by Giovanni Cuniolo. At the beginning there were often...
1914
- Italian National Road Race Championship
- Milano–Torino
1915
- Milano–Torino
1918
- Milan – San Remo
- Giro dell'EmiliaGiro dell'EmiliaThe Giro dell'Emilia is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is considered one of the most important classic bicycle races in Italy....
1919
Giro d'Italia1919 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1919 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 21 May to 8 June 1919, consisting of 10 stages for a total of 2,984 km, ridden at an average speed of 26.440 km/h. It was won by Costante Girardengo, first cyclist to hold the lead from the first to the last stage....- Giro di Lombardia
- Italian National Road Race Championship
- Giro del PiemonteGiro del PiemonteThe Giro del Piemonte is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour...
- Giro dell'Emilia
- Milano–Torino
1920
- Italian National Road Race Championship
- Giro del Piemonte
- Milano–Torino
1921
- Milan – San Remo
- Giro di Lombardia
- Italian National Road Race Championship
- Giro dell'Emilia
1922
- Giro di Lombardia
- Italian National Road Race Championship
- Giro dell'Emilia
- Giro di Romagna
1923
- Giro d'Italia1923 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1923 Giro d'Italia of cycling was the 11th edition to take place. It was held from 23 May to 10 June 1923, with 10 stages stretching over 3,202 km and was won by Costante Girardengo of Italy. Attrition reduced the 97 starters to just 38 finishers....
- Milan – San Remo
- Italian National Road Race Championship
- Milano–Torino
- Giro del VenetoGiro del VenetoThe Giro del Veneto is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. The race is a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, meaning a one-day race that is not the hardest in difficulty, but harder than most.-Winners:...
- Giro di ToscanaGiro di ToscanaThe Giro di Toscana is a road bicycle race held annually in Tuscany, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
1924
- Italian National Road Race Championship
- Giro del Piemonte
- Giro del Veneto
- Giro di Toscana
- GP WolberGP WolberThe GP Wolber was a French cycling event in the 1920s. It was considered a kind of unofficial World Championship. Only cyclists who finished in the top-3 of the major French, Italian, Belgian and Swiss races were invited. The first GP Wolber was held in 1922. When the World Cycling Championship was...
1925
- Milan – San Remo
- Italian National Road Race Championship
- Giro dell'Emilia
- Giro del Veneto
1926
- Milan – San Remo
- Giro di Romagna
- Giro del Veneto
1928
- Milan – San Remo
Further reading
- A Century of Cycling, William Fotheringham, ISBN 1-84000-654-4
- European Cycling, The 20 Greatest Races, Noel Henderson, ISBN 0-941950-20-4