Raphael Geminiani
Encyclopedia
Raphaël Géminiani is a French
former road bicycle racer. He had six podium finishes in the Grand Tours. He is one of four children of Italian immigrants who moved to Clermont-Ferrand
. He worked in a cycle shop and started racing as a boy. He became a professional and then a directeur sportif
, notably of Jacques Anquetil
and the St-Raphaël team.
His professional career ran from 1946 to 1960. He won the mountains competition in the Tour de France
in 1951. His best overall place was second in 1951 behind Hugo Koblet
. He won seven stages of the Tour between 1949 and 1955 and wore the maillot jaune of leader for four days. He won the national championship in 1953, the mountain competition of the Giro d'Italia
in 1951 and third place in the Vuelta
1955. In 1955, Géminiani finished in the top 10 of the three big tours (Tour de France
, Giro d'Italia
and Vuelta a España
), equalled by Gastone Nencini
only in 1957.
In 1977 he called doping checks the "cancer of cycling". He recognised that he had used drugs during his career. His strong personality earned him the nickname of Le Grand Fusil, which translates roughly as "Top Gun".
in 1920 to escape fascism
in Italy
. He had run a bicycle factory in Lugo. It burned down. He established a bike shop in Clermont-Ferrand
and insisted that his family speak French from then on.
The elder son, Angelo was a good amateur rider. Raphaël left school at 12 and worked in the shop, building wheels. France was still occupied by the Germans but there were still cycle races. René de Latour wrote in Sporting Cyclist
:[His father said] "Look at yourself in the mirror, son, and tell me if you ever saw a coureur with legs as skinny as yours. I'm sorry, but bike racing is Angelo's business, not yours.'
At 16, in 1943, he won the first round of the Premier Pas Dunlop, which had the status of a youth championship, came third in the next heat and qualified for the final, held on 3 June 1943. It was held at Montluçon
. He said:
Géminiani started racing in mixed amateur-professional races after the war, first locally and then nationally. He received a professional contract in 1946 for the Métropole team from its manager, Romain Bellenger
, and in 1947 rode his first Tour de France.
was a disaster. The first stage was from Paris
to Lille
in one of the hottest summers for decades. The roads were still in poor shape from the war and those that were surfaced were often cobbled. Géminiani finished 20 minutes behind the leaders. Next day the race went to Brussels
. Géminiani and eight others stayed away for 100 km but by the Belgian capital he was 30 minutes behind. The first riders had dropped out because of the heat. Things got worse. The stage from Brussels to Luxembourg
was advertised as 365 km but was more than 400. Riders plundered wayside cafés for drink. Others fought each other to get to drinking fountains. Firemen sprayed water over the competitors as they approached Luxembourg.
Géminiani finished 50 minutes down and he and his room-mate, Jo Néri, were too exhausted to eat dinner. On the stage to Strasbourg
Géminiani's face was so bloated and blistered that he could no longer see clearly. Next morning he was feverish and close to blind and left the race for hospital. It took two days to reach Clermont-Ferrand and another six to recover.
The episode brought criticism when Géminiani was chosen for the Southwest-Centre team. It was strongest in his own area, the Auvergne
, where rumours had spread that Géminiani had ridden the 1947 race only because his father had bribed the selectors. There was astonishment when he was picked for the national team in the 1948 Tour de France
. He was insulted when he beat a local favurite, Jean Blanc, in a race near Clermont-Ferrand three days before the start.
Géminiani said :
After four days, he was sixth. He lost ground over the mountains but stayed with stronger riders such as Jean Robic
Louison Bobet
and Gino Bartali
. He was 14th when the race reached Cannes
. He lost time through a succession of flat tyres on the stage to Briançon
but still finished 15th, having supported Guy Lapébie
, his team-mate, to third place. The tone in Clermont changed: fans met him at the station and drove him through the city in an open car, behind a man walking with a French flag.
, finishing 20th, behind not only Hugo Koblet
but Bobet. The two clashed again in the 1953 Tour de France
. The national team attacked one of their rivals, Jean Robic
, on the stage from Albi to Béziers
. The battling went on all day and ended with a sprint on the cinder track at Sauclière where Nello Lauredi
won and Géminiani came second, denying Bobet the time bonus which would have helped him win the stage. That denial led to a row over dinner in the French team's hotel. Géminiani became so annoyed at Bobet's accusations that legend says he emptied his plate on Bobet's head. Bobet, as emotional as Géminiani was quick-tempered, is said to have burst into tears and left the table.
That quick temper was behind an episode in the Tour of 1952
, after a stage to Namur
, in Belgium
. Robic held an impromptu press conference in his bath. Géminiani heard him tell reporters "I was the crafty one today. I played dead so that I didn't have to do any of the work. And now I've got plenty of chances whereas Gem ought to be in mourning for his Tour." Géminiani pushed his way through the journalists and held Robic under the water three times. Marcel Bidot
heard the commotion and arrived with Raymond Le Bert, soigneur for Bobet. The two pulled the men apart, Le Bert saying: "If you fight like that, nobody will benefit but the opposition. Work together instead of bitching all the time (au lieu de vous manger le nez). You'll use less energy and you can both win."
Bidot said 20 years later: "There was another outcome to Le Bert's sensible argument, a little push towards destiny. Louison and Raphaël had bedrooms which faced each other. They opened their doors at the same moment, the following morning. They each planned to congratulate the other, which had an outcome we'd never have expected. " Géminiani warmed to Bobet and took to guiding him through races. "He tele-commanded his victories and drew up his battle plans," said the journalist Olivier Dazat. "He was at Bobet's side through his three winning Tours de France.
Géminiani's temper showed in the Tour of 1958
, the so-called Judas Tour (see below), and the way he dealt with spectators in 1957 who prevented his winning the Giro d'Italia
. He said:
, Géminiani escaped before Mont Ventoux
on the stage from Marseille to Avignon. With him was the German-speaking Swiss, Ferdi Kubler.
Kubler denied the story. "That's what I'm supposed to have said. But it's not true. Didn't say that; Géminiani is a gossip. In the peloton we used to call him 'the telephone'. We're good friend but that story, it's not true.
. Géminiani was leading the race when Charly Gaul
of Luxembourg
, the most talented climber of his generation, attacked in a rainstorm on the 21st stage. He crossed three cols alone in the Chartreuse
and moved up from being 15 minutes behind Géminiani to displacing him when the race finished in Aix-les-Bains
. Géminiani rounded on the national French team generally and on Bobet in particular in accusing them of being "Judas", a Biblical reference to being betrayed. Bobet in particular had been unable to support him. The row took on extra edge because Bobet and Géminiani were in different teams. Bobet was riding for the French national team and Géminiani for Centre-Midi. They were rivals but Géminiani insisted that one Frenchman should help another rather than see a foreigner win. And Bobet had said that he would, telling journalists that he would be happy to help a man he called his "friend" win the Tour.
Géminiani was additionally bitter at being excluded from Bobet's team, a consequence of selection politics. He said: At the start of the race, a fan in Brussels
gave him a donkey to keep as a pet. Géminiani told reporters he would call it Marcel, after the French selector Marcel Bidot who had kept him out of the team.
was celebrating its first year of independence. Until then it had been the French colony of Haute Volta. The president, Maurice Yaméogo
invited Fausto Coppi
, Géminiani, Anquetil, Bobet, Roger Hassenforder
and Henry Anglade
to ride against local riders and then go hunting. Géminiani remembered:
Both caught malaria
and fell ill when they got home. Géminiani said:
Geminiani says that the priest at Chamalières
gave him the last rites
and his obituary was circulated to newspapers. He was diagnosed by the Institut Pasteur as having plasmodium falciparum
, the fatal form of malaria
. Géminiani recovered but Coppi died, his doctors convinced he had a bronchial complaint. Géminiani, who rode for Coppi in 1953 in the Bianchi
team said
It was restored at the beginning of the 90s and returned to Geminiani in November 1995 in a ceremony attended by Gino Bartali
. In 2002, Géminiani gave the bike to the Vel' d'Auvergne club of which he is president it was auctioned for funds to train young riders.
Anquetil was upset, said Géminiani, that his rival, Raymond Poulidor
was always more warmly regarded even though he had never won the Tour de France. In 1965, when Poulidor was perceived to have received more credit for dropping Anquetil the previous year on the Puy-de-Dôme
than Anquetil had received for winning the whole Tour, Géminiani persuaded him to ride the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and, next day, the 557 km Bordeaux–Paris. That, he said, would end any argument over who was the greater athlete. Anquetil won the Dauphiné, despite bad weather which he disliked, at 3pm. After two hours of interviews and receptions he flew at 6.30pm in a private plane from Nîmes
to Bordeaux
. At midnight, he ate his pre-race meal and then went to the start in the city's northern suburbs.
He could eat little during the night because of stomach cramp and was on the verge of retiring. Géminiani swore at Anquetil and called him "a great poof" to offend his pride and keep him riding. Anquetil felt better as morning came and the riders dropped in behind the derny
pacing motorcycles that were a feature of the race. He responded to an attack by Tom Simpson
, followed by his own teammate Jean Stablinski
. Anquetil and Stablinski attacked Simpson alternately, forcing himself to exhaust himself, and Anquetil won at the Parc des Princes
. Stablinski finished 57 seconds later just ahead of Simpson.
There are rumours that the jet laid on to get Anquetil to Bordeaux was provided through state funds on the orders of President
Charles de Gaulle
. Géminiani mentions the belief in his biography, without denying it, saying the truth will come out when French state records are opened to scrutiny.
. Nothing happened even when Fiorenze Magni secured sponsorship in Italy from the company that made Nivea
face cream. An outside sponsor in the land of the Tour de France, where organisers Jacques Goddet
and Félix Lévitan
had great political strength, was different.
Géminiani sold his team to the St-Raphaël apéritif
company to coincide with the opening of the Tour de France to commercial teams in 1962. Goddet, Lévitan and their Tour were against extra-sportif sponsors, fearing powerful rivals and worried that advertising on jerseys was space that sponsors need no longer buy in their newspaper, L'Équipe
. Géminiani was threatened with suspension. He tried to claim that "Raphaël" referred not to the company but to himself. The argument lasted all winter and reached the UCI. It continued until Milan – San Remo, by which time a decision was essential. The UCI was against outside sponsorship but its president, Achille Joinard, was in favour. According to Géminiani, Joinard told him:
Joinard saw commercial sponsorship as the future but also had a history of disagreements with Lévitan in particular over who carried the most weight in cycling.
It was with Géminiani that Anquetil won many of his most memorable wins, such as the back-to-back wins in the 1965 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and Bordeaux–Paris.
After St-Raphaël withdrew from sponsorship at the end of 1964, Géminiani sold his team to the French division of Ford, the car-maker and then in 1969 to the cigarette lighter and ballpoint pen company, Bic
. Dominique Pezard, who for years has been a driver of race officials in the Tour, said:
In 1967 the riders included Anquetil, Lucien Aimar
, Julio Jiménez
, Jean Stablinski
, Rolf Wolfshohl
Joaquim Agostinho
and, a little later, Luis Ocaña
. Ocaña won the 1973 Tour de France
in Bic colours. The following year, however, Baron Bich read about Ocaña complaining that the team had not paid him. Pezard said: "The money was deposited in a company account run by Géminiani. When the Baron read that Ocaña had not been paid, he said 'stop'. He was like that, proud and very strict in his principles." The team ended after seven years but Bic continued to sponsor an amateur team in the Val d'Oise.
In 1985, Géminiani became directeur sportif of the La Redoute
team and was behind Stephen Roche
's third place in the 1985 Tour de France
. He told Roche to attack on the 18th stage when he first saw the route of that year's Tour. At the end of that year the La Redoute retired from the sport. Roche took Géminiani to his new team . In 1986 Géminiani was manager of Café de Colombia.
, Cizeron. It is possible that both made them.
Sheldon Brown
said of them: "A major bike of the French glory years. Many were rather unexciting, but be on the lookout for high-end examples from the early 60s with French component exotica. In prime (less than 57) sizes in nice condition top-end models with the right stuff could be worth $ 1,500 or more. The pedestrian models perhaps a few hundred at best. French bikes from the 50s and 60s are tricky stuff to understand and price.
On the way modern riders compete, he said:
After the death of Tom Simpson
during the Tour de France of 1967, when drugs were found in his body and the pockets of his race jersey, he criticised the doctor:
1946
1949
1950
1951
1952
1953
1955
1956
1957
1958
1959
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
former road bicycle racer. He had six podium finishes in the Grand Tours. He is one of four children of Italian immigrants who moved to Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
. He worked in a cycle shop and started racing as a boy. He became a professional and then a directeur sportif
Directeur sportif
A directeur sportif is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event...
, notably of Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
and the St-Raphaël team.
His professional career ran from 1946 to 1960. He won the mountains competition 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...
in 1951. His best overall place was second in 1951 behind Hugo Koblet
Hugo Koblet
Hugo Koblet was a Swiss champion cyclist. He won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia as well as competing in six-day and pursuit races on the track. He won 70 races as a professional...
. He won seven stages of the Tour between 1949 and 1955 and wore the maillot jaune of leader for four days. He won the national championship in 1953, the mountain competition of 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...
in 1951 and third place in the Vuelta
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
1955. In 1955, Géminiani finished in the top 10 of the three big tours (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...
, 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...
and Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
), equalled by Gastone Nencini
Gastone Nencini
Gastone Nencini was an Italian road racing cyclist who won the 1960 Tour de France and the 1957 Giro d'Italia....
only in 1957.
In 1977 he called doping checks the "cancer of cycling". He recognised that he had used drugs during his career. His strong personality earned him the nickname of Le Grand Fusil, which translates roughly as "Top Gun".
Background
Géminiani's father, Giovanni, brought his family to FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in 1920 to escape fascism
Fascism
Fascism is a radical authoritarian nationalist political ideology. Fascists seek to rejuvenate their nation based on commitment to the national community as an organic entity, in which individuals are bound together in national identity by suprapersonal connections of ancestry, culture, and blood...
in Italy
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...
. He had run a bicycle factory in Lugo. It burned down. He established a bike shop in Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand
Clermont-Ferrand is a city and commune of France, in the Auvergne region, with a population of 140,700 . Its metropolitan area had 409,558 inhabitants at the 1999 census. It is the prefecture of the Puy-de-Dôme department...
and insisted that his family speak French from then on.
The elder son, Angelo was a good amateur rider. Raphaël left school at 12 and worked in the shop, building wheels. France was still occupied by the Germans but there were still cycle races. René de Latour wrote in Sporting Cyclist
Sporting Cyclist
Sporting Cyclist was a British cycling A4-sized magazine originally called Coureur. It began in 1957 and closed after 131 issues in October 1968.-Coureur:...
:[His father said] "Look at yourself in the mirror, son, and tell me if you ever saw a coureur with legs as skinny as yours. I'm sorry, but bike racing is Angelo's business, not yours.'
At 16, in 1943, he won the first round of the Premier Pas Dunlop, which had the status of a youth championship, came third in the next heat and qualified for the final, held on 3 June 1943. It was held at Montluçon
Montluçon
Montluçon is a commune in central France. It is the largest commune in the Allier department, although the department's préfecture is located in the smaller town of Moulins. Its inhabitants are known as Montluçonnais...
. He said:
- My father knew my very marked penchant for attacking and gave me several words of advice. Among other things, to attack on a hill he had seen 15km from the finish. During the race, I followed my father's advice. When the hill came, I put in a big attack. The gap grew quickly to 20 seconds. I'd done it! The peloton didn't see me again. I crossed the line as the winner. And sign of destiny - who came sixth? A certain Louison BobetLouison BobetLouis 'Louison' Bobet was a French professional road racing cyclist. He was the first great French rider of the post-war period and the first rider to win the Tour de France in three successive years, from 1953 to 1955...
, whose destiny was to be so closely linked to mine in the years that followed.
Géminiani started racing in mixed amateur-professional races after the war, first locally and then nationally. He received a professional contract in 1946 for the Métropole team from its manager, Romain Bellenger
Romain Bellenger
Romain Bellenger was a French road racing cyclist who came third in the 1923 Tour de France and eighth in the 1924 Tour de France and won three stages.- Major achievements :19191920...
, and in 1947 rode his first Tour de France.
First Tours de France
Géminiani's first Tour de France, in 19471947 Tour de France
The 1947 Tour de France was the 34th Tour de France, taking place from 25 June to 20 July 1947. The total race distance was 21 stages over 4,640 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.412 km/h...
was a disaster. The first stage was from Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
in one of the hottest summers for decades. The roads were still in poor shape from the war and those that were surfaced were often cobbled. Géminiani finished 20 minutes behind the leaders. Next day the race went to Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. Géminiani and eight others stayed away for 100 km but by the Belgian capital he was 30 minutes behind. The first riders had dropped out because of the heat. Things got worse. The stage from Brussels to Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
was advertised as 365 km but was more than 400. Riders plundered wayside cafés for drink. Others fought each other to get to drinking fountains. Firemen sprayed water over the competitors as they approached Luxembourg.
Géminiani finished 50 minutes down and he and his room-mate, Jo Néri, were too exhausted to eat dinner. On the stage to Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
Géminiani's face was so bloated and blistered that he could no longer see clearly. Next morning he was feverish and close to blind and left the race for hospital. It took two days to reach Clermont-Ferrand and another six to recover.
The episode brought criticism when Géminiani was chosen for the Southwest-Centre team. It was strongest in his own area, the Auvergne
Auvergne (région)
Auvergne is one of the 27 administrative regions of France. It comprises the 4 departments of Allier, Puy de Dome, Cantal and Haute Loire.The current administrative region of Auvergne is larger than the historical province of Auvergne, and includes provinces and areas that historically were not...
, where rumours had spread that Géminiani had ridden the 1947 race only because his father had bribed the selectors. There was astonishment when he was picked for the national team in the 1948 Tour de France
1948 Tour de France
The 1948 Tour de France was the 35th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 25, 1948. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,922 km, ridden at an average speed of 33.443 km/h....
. He was insulted when he beat a local favurite, Jean Blanc, in a race near Clermont-Ferrand three days before the start.
Géminiani said :
After four days, he was sixth. He lost ground over the mountains but stayed with stronger riders such as Jean Robic
Jean Robic
Jean Robic was a French road racing cyclist, who won the 1947 Tour de France. Robic was a professional cyclist from 1943 to 1961. His diminutive stature and appearance was encapsulated in the nickname the hobgoblin of the Brittany moor...
Louison Bobet
Louison Bobet
Louis 'Louison' Bobet was a French professional road racing cyclist. He was the first great French rider of the post-war period and the first rider to win the Tour de France in three successive years, from 1953 to 1955...
and 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...
. He was 14th when the race reached Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
. He lost time through a succession of flat tyres on the stage to Briançon
Briançon
Briançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....
but still finished 15th, having supported Guy Lapébie
Guy Lapébie
Guy Lapébie was a French professional road bicycle racer. In the 1936 Olympics, Lapébie won two golden medals and one silver medal. He was born in Saint-Geours-de-Maremne and died in Bagnères-de-Luchon....
, his team-mate, to third place. The tone in Clermont changed: fans met him at the station and drove him through the city in an open car, behind a man walking with a French flag.
Temper
French cycling in the Fifties was the strongest it had been since the 1930s. In 1951 it had Louison Bobet, strongest in one-day races, and Géminiani, thought the stronger in longer events. But Géminiani disappointed in the 1951 Tour de France1951 Tour de France
The 1951 Tour de France was the 38th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 29, 1951. It consisted of 24 stages over 4690 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.949 km/h....
, finishing 20th, behind not only Hugo Koblet
Hugo Koblet
Hugo Koblet was a Swiss champion cyclist. He won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia as well as competing in six-day and pursuit races on the track. He won 70 races as a professional...
but Bobet. The two clashed again in the 1953 Tour de France
1953 Tour de France
The 1953 Tour de France was the 40th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 26, 1953. It consisted of 22 stages over 4479 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.593 km/h....
. The national team attacked one of their rivals, Jean Robic
Jean Robic
Jean Robic was a French road racing cyclist, who won the 1947 Tour de France. Robic was a professional cyclist from 1943 to 1961. His diminutive stature and appearance was encapsulated in the nickname the hobgoblin of the Brittany moor...
, on the stage from Albi to Béziers
Béziers
Béziers is a town in Languedoc in southern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the Hérault department. Béziers hosts the famous Feria de Béziers, centred around bullfighting, every August. A million visitors are attracted to the five-day event...
. The battling went on all day and ended with a sprint on the cinder track at Sauclière where Nello Lauredi
Nello Lauredi
Nello Lauredi was a former professional French road bicycle racer. He was of Italian origin but in 1984 he changed nationality to France. He was a professional cyclist from 1949 until 1959 and had 17 wins. His most important win being three overall wins in the Dauphiné Libéré...
won and Géminiani came second, denying Bobet the time bonus which would have helped him win the stage. That denial led to a row over dinner in the French team's hotel. Géminiani became so annoyed at Bobet's accusations that legend says he emptied his plate on Bobet's head. Bobet, as emotional as Géminiani was quick-tempered, is said to have burst into tears and left the table.
That quick temper was behind an episode in the Tour of 1952
1952 Tour de France
The 1952 Tour de France was the 39th Tour de France, taking place June 25 to July 19, 1952. It was composed of 23 stages over 4807 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.739 km/h. Newly introduced were the arrivals on mountain peaks....
, after a stage to Namur
Namur (city)
Namur is a city and municipality in Wallonia, in southern Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia....
, in Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. Robic held an impromptu press conference in his bath. Géminiani heard him tell reporters "I was the crafty one today. I played dead so that I didn't have to do any of the work. And now I've got plenty of chances whereas Gem ought to be in mourning for his Tour." Géminiani pushed his way through the journalists and held Robic under the water three times. Marcel Bidot
Marcel Bidot
Marcel Bidot was a French professional road bicycle racer who won two stages of the Tour de France and became manager of the French national team...
heard the commotion and arrived with Raymond Le Bert, soigneur for Bobet. The two pulled the men apart, Le Bert saying: "If you fight like that, nobody will benefit but the opposition. Work together instead of bitching all the time (au lieu de vous manger le nez). You'll use less energy and you can both win."
Bidot said 20 years later: "There was another outcome to Le Bert's sensible argument, a little push towards destiny. Louison and Raphaël had bedrooms which faced each other. They opened their doors at the same moment, the following morning. They each planned to congratulate the other, which had an outcome we'd never have expected. " Géminiani warmed to Bobet and took to guiding him through races. "He tele-commanded his victories and drew up his battle plans," said the journalist Olivier Dazat. "He was at Bobet's side through his three winning Tours de France.
Géminiani's temper showed in the Tour of 1958
1958 Tour de France
The 1958 Tour de France was the 45th Tour de France, taking place June 26 to July 19, 1958. The total race distance was 24 stages over 4,319 km, at an average speed of 36.919 km/h....
, the so-called Judas Tour (see below), and the way he dealt with spectators in 1957 who prevented his winning 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...
. He said:
'Steady, Ferdi! The Ventoux isn't like other climbs'
In the 1955 Tour de France1955 Tour de France
The 1955 Tour de France was the 42nd Tour de France, taking place from July 7 to July 30, 1955. It consisted of 22 stages over 4495 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.446 km/h....
, Géminiani escaped before Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...
on the stage from Marseille to Avignon. With him was the German-speaking Swiss, Ferdi Kubler.
The thermometer was at 40 degrees. Along the road, spectators with sunstroke were dropping like flies. At the bottom of the Tourmalet, the Swiss got up on his pedals and went sprinting away. He was off like a locomotive. That was his trademark. I just had the time to warn him 'Steady, Ferdi! The Ventoux isn't like other climbs." And then, between two apocalyptic attacks, Kubler put me in my place in his shaky French: 'Ferdi also not champion like others.' On the line, they had to scoop him off the road with a teaspoon.
Kubler denied the story. "That's what I'm supposed to have said. But it's not true. Didn't say that; Géminiani is a gossip. In the peloton we used to call him 'the telephone'. We're good friend but that story, it's not true.
The 'Judas' Tour
Differences between Géminiani and Bobet surfaced again in the 1958 Tour de France1958 Tour de France
The 1958 Tour de France was the 45th Tour de France, taking place June 26 to July 19, 1958. The total race distance was 24 stages over 4,319 km, at an average speed of 36.919 km/h....
. Géminiani was leading the race when Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul
Charly Gaul was a professional cyclist. He was a national cyclo-cross champion, an accomplished time triallist and a better climber. His ability earned him the nickname of The Angel of the Mountains in the 1958 Tour de France, which he won with four stage victories...
of Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
, the most talented climber of his generation, attacked in a rainstorm on the 21st stage. He crossed three cols alone in the Chartreuse
Chartreuse Mountains
The Chartreuse Mountains is a mountain range in eastern France, stretching to the north from the city of Grenoble to the Lac du Bourget. It is the southernmost range in the Jura Mountains and belongs to the French Prealps....
and moved up from being 15 minutes behind Géminiani to displacing him when the race finished in Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is situated on the shore of Lac du Bourget, by rail north of Chambéry.-Geography:...
. Géminiani rounded on the national French team generally and on Bobet in particular in accusing them of being "Judas", a Biblical reference to being betrayed. Bobet in particular had been unable to support him. The row took on extra edge because Bobet and Géminiani were in different teams. Bobet was riding for the French national team and Géminiani for Centre-Midi. They were rivals but Géminiani insisted that one Frenchman should help another rather than see a foreigner win. And Bobet had said that he would, telling journalists that he would be happy to help a man he called his "friend" win the Tour.
Géminiani was additionally bitter at being excluded from Bobet's team, a consequence of selection politics. He said: At the start of the race, a fan in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
gave him a donkey to keep as a pet. Géminiani told reporters he would call it Marcel, after the French selector Marcel Bidot who had kept him out of the team.
Fausto Coppi
In December 1959, Burkina FasoBurkina Faso
Burkina Faso – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in west Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.Its size is with an estimated...
was celebrating its first year of independence. Until then it had been the French colony of Haute Volta. The president, Maurice Yaméogo
Maurice Yaméogo
Maurice Yaméogo was the first President of the Republic of Upper Volta, now called Burkina Faso. He proclaimed the independence of the country on August 5, 1960 and also tried to create a union between Cote d'Ivoire and Upper-Volta...
invited Fausto Coppi
Fausto Coppi
Angelo Fausto Coppi, , was the dominant international cyclist of the years each side of the Second World War. His successes earned him the title Il Campionissimo, or champion of champions...
, Géminiani, Anquetil, Bobet, Roger Hassenforder
Roger Hassenforder
Roger Hassenforder is a former French professional racing cyclist from Alsace.-Biography:Hassenforder was a professional cyclist from 1952 to 1965. He was known as the joker of the cyclists and therefore was nicknamed "boute-en-train". He was known for his interviews during the course...
and Henry Anglade
Henry Anglade
Henry Anglade is a former French cyclist. In 1959 he was closest to winning the Tour de France, when he finished second, 4:01 behind Federico Bahamontes. In 1960 he wore the yellow jersey for two days.-Origins:...
to ride against local riders and then go hunting. Géminiani remembered:
Both caught malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
and fell ill when they got home. Géminiani said:
Geminiani says that the priest at Chamalières
Chamalières
Chamalières is a commune in the Puy-de-Dôme department in Auvergne in central France.Chamalières is the third-largest town in the department and lies about from Lyon.-History:...
gave him the last rites
Last Rites
The Last Rites are the very last prayers and ministrations given to many Christians before death. The last rites go by various names and include different practices in different Christian traditions...
and his obituary was circulated to newspapers. He was diagnosed by the Institut Pasteur as having plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium falciparum
Plasmodium falciparum is a protozoan parasite, one of the species of Plasmodium that cause malaria in humans. It is transmitted by the female Anopheles mosquito. Malaria caused by this species is the most dangerous form of malaria, with the highest rates of complications and mortality...
, the fatal form of malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. Géminiani recovered but Coppi died, his doctors convinced he had a bronchial complaint. Géminiani, who rode for Coppi in 1953 in the Bianchi
Bianchi Bicycles
F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A is the world's oldest bicycle-making company still in existence, having pioneered the use of equal-sized wheels with pneumatic rubber tires in 1885. It was founded in Italy in 1885. It produced cars and commercial vehicles from 1900 to 1939; and motorcycles from 1897 to...
team said
Coppi's bike
Fausto Coppi won the 1950 Paris–Roubaix and two years later gave the bicycle that he had ridden in that race, the Bianchi 231560, to his new team-mate, Géminiani. John Stevenson of www.cyclingnews.com said: "It's unusual for a bike to become available that can be traced to Coppi with this degree of certainty. Coppi's legend means there are many claims that this bike or that bike belonged to the rider who is generally considered Italy's greatest ever cyclist. But in this case, the bike's history is clear."It was restored at the beginning of the 90s and returned to Geminiani in November 1995 in a ceremony attended by 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...
. In 2002, Géminiani gave the bike to the Vel' d'Auvergne club of which he is president it was auctioned for funds to train young riders.
Jacques Anquetil
Géminiani's management career reached its height in the St-Raphaël and Ford-France teams with Jacques Anquetil. As a partnership they won four Tours de France, two Giro d'Italia, the Dauphiné-Libéré and then next day, Bordeaux–Paris.Anquetil was upset, said Géminiani, that his rival, Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor , is a former professional bicycle racer. He was known as the eternal second, because he finished the Tour de France in second place three times, and in third place five times, including his final Tour at the age of 40...
was always more warmly regarded even though he had never won the Tour de France. In 1965, when Poulidor was perceived to have received more credit for dropping Anquetil the previous year on the Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme
Puy-de-Dôme is a department in the centre of France named after the famous dormant volcano, the Puy-de-Dôme.Inhabitants were called Puydedomois until December 2005...
than Anquetil had received for winning the whole Tour, Géminiani persuaded him to ride the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and, next day, the 557 km Bordeaux–Paris. That, he said, would end any argument over who was the greater athlete. Anquetil won the Dauphiné, despite bad weather which he disliked, at 3pm. After two hours of interviews and receptions he flew at 6.30pm in a private plane from Nîmes
Nîmes
Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...
to Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. At midnight, he ate his pre-race meal and then went to the start in the city's northern suburbs.
He could eat little during the night because of stomach cramp and was on the verge of retiring. Géminiani swore at Anquetil and called him "a great poof" to offend his pride and keep him riding. Anquetil felt better as morning came and the riders dropped in behind the derny
Derny
A Derny is a motorized bicycle for motor-paced cycling events such as during six-day and Keirin racing, or motor-paced road races. It is driven by a 98cc Zurcher two-stroke engine and by being pedalled through a fixed gear, typically of 70 teeth on the front chainring and 11 on the sprocket on the...
pacing motorcycles that were a feature of the race. He responded to an attack by Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson was the most successful English road racing cyclist of the post-war years. He infamously died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967...
, followed by his own teammate Jean Stablinski
Jean Stablinski
Jean Stablewski, known as Jean Stablinski was a French professional cyclist from a family of Polish immigrants. He rode from 1952 to 1968, winning 105 races as a professional...
. Anquetil and Stablinski attacked Simpson alternately, forcing himself to exhaust himself, and Anquetil won at the Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes
The Parc des Princes is an all-seater football stadium located in the southwest of Paris, France. The venue, with a seating capacity of 48,712 spectators, has been the home of French football club Paris Saint-Germain since 1974. The current Parc des Princes was inaugurated on 4 June 1972, endowed...
. Stablinski finished 57 seconds later just ahead of Simpson.
There are rumours that the jet laid on to get Anquetil to Bordeaux was provided through state funds on the orders of President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
. Géminiani mentions the belief in his biography, without denying it, saying the truth will come out when French state records are opened to scrutiny.
Sponsorship
Géminiani dropped out of racing when only cycle manufacturers were allowed to sponsor teams but fewer of them had the money to do so. Géminiani had sponsored himself and others to publicise bicycles made under his name. But it was on signing Jacques Anquetil that he needed more money than the cycle industry could provide. There had been sponsors from outside the business before - the first was ITP Pools, a soccer betting company which sponsored semi-professionals in Britain, but they were small and of little interest to the governing body, the Union Cycliste InternationaleUnion Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
. Nothing happened even when Fiorenze Magni secured sponsorship in Italy from the company that made Nivea
Nivea
Nivea is a global skin- and body-care brand that is owned by the German company Beiersdorf. The company was founded on March 28 1882 by pharmacist Carl Paul Beiersdorf. In 1900, the new owner Oskar Troplowitz developed a water-in-oil emulsion as a skin cream with Eucerit, the first stable emulsion...
face cream. An outside sponsor in the land of the Tour de France, where organisers Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet
Jacques Goddet was a French sports journalist and director of the Tour de France from 1936 to 1986....
and Félix Lévitan
Félix Lévitan
Félix Lévitan was the third organiser of the Tour de France, a role he shared for much of the time with Jacques Goddet...
had great political strength, was different.
Géminiani sold his team to the St-Raphaël apéritif
Aperitif
Apéritifs and digestifs are alcoholic drinks that are normally served with meals.-Apéritifs:An apéritif is usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. This contrasts with digestifs, which are served after a meal for the purpose of aiding digestion...
company to coincide with the opening of the Tour de France to commercial teams in 1962. Goddet, Lévitan and their Tour were against extra-sportif sponsors, fearing powerful rivals and worried that advertising on jerseys was space that sponsors need no longer buy in their newspaper, L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
. Géminiani was threatened with suspension. He tried to claim that "Raphaël" referred not to the company but to himself. The argument lasted all winter and reached the UCI. It continued until Milan – San Remo, by which time a decision was essential. The UCI was against outside sponsorship but its president, Achille Joinard, was in favour. According to Géminiani, Joinard told him:
Joinard saw commercial sponsorship as the future but also had a history of disagreements with Lévitan in particular over who carried the most weight in cycling.
It was with Géminiani that Anquetil won many of his most memorable wins, such as the back-to-back wins in the 1965 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and Bordeaux–Paris.
After St-Raphaël withdrew from sponsorship at the end of 1964, Géminiani sold his team to the French division of Ford, the car-maker and then in 1969 to the cigarette lighter and ballpoint pen company, Bic
Société Bic
Société Bic is a company based in Clichy, France, founded in 1945, by Baron Marcel Bich known for making disposable products including lighters, magnets, ballpoint pens, shaving razors and watersports products. It competes in most markets against Faber-Castell, Global Gillette, Newell Rubbermaid...
. Dominique Pezard, who for years has been a driver of race officials in the Tour, said:
My father was 25 years old and he was washing the car of the baron [Baron Bich, founder of Bic] when one day he was called into his office. The baron told him he needed someone. He became director of human resources at Bic. When Raphaël Géminiani announced that his team was stopping, Christian Darras, head of publicity at Bic, went straight away to my father. With the baron, they came to an agreement to start the Bic cycling team."
In 1967 the riders included Anquetil, Lucien Aimar
Lucien Aimar
Lucien Aimar is a French cyclist, who won the Tour de France in 1966 and the national road championship in 1968. He is now a race organizer. He was born in Hyères, France.-Amateur career:...
, Julio Jiménez
Julio Jimenez
Julio Jiménez Muñoz is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. Known as a climbing specialist, he captured six King of the Mountains jerseys at the Grand Tours...
, Jean Stablinski
Jean Stablinski
Jean Stablewski, known as Jean Stablinski was a French professional cyclist from a family of Polish immigrants. He rode from 1952 to 1968, winning 105 races as a professional...
, Rolf Wolfshohl
Rolf Wolfshohl
Rolf Wolfshohl is a former professional road bicycle racing and cyclo-cross racing cyclist from Germany. Wolfshohl is best known in cyclo-cross for winning the world championship three times, and in road racing for winning the 1965 Vuelta a España.-Biography:Wolfshohl started competing in cycling...
Joaquim Agostinho
Joaquim Agostinho
Joaquim Fernandes Agostinho, OIH was a Portuguese professional bicycle racer. He was champion of Portugal in six successive years. He rode the Tour de France 13 times and finished all but once, winning on Alpe d'Huez in 1979, and finishing 3rd twice...
and, a little later, Luis Ocaña
Luis Ocaña
Jesús Luis Ocaña Pernía was a Spanish road bicycle racer who won the Tour de France in 1973 and the Vuelta a España in 1970.- Early professional career :...
. Ocaña won the 1973 Tour de France
1973 Tour de France
The 1973 Tour de France was the 60th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 22, 1973. It consisted of 20 stages over 4140.4 km, ridden at an average speed of 33.918 km/h. After winning the 1973 Vuelta a España and the 1973 Giro d'Italia, Eddy Merckx did not participate in the Tour...
in Bic colours. The following year, however, Baron Bich read about Ocaña complaining that the team had not paid him. Pezard said: "The money was deposited in a company account run by Géminiani. When the Baron read that Ocaña had not been paid, he said 'stop'. He was like that, proud and very strict in his principles." The team ended after seven years but Bic continued to sponsor an amateur team in the Val d'Oise.
In 1985, Géminiani became directeur sportif of the La Redoute
La Redoute
La Redoute is the largest mail order company in France.The company is based in Roubaix. It was founded in 1875. It is owned by the PPR holding company. PPR was named "Pinault-Printemps-Redoute" until 2005. Thus the "R" in the acronym refers to La Redoute....
team and was behind Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche
Stephen Roche is a retired professional road racing cyclist. In a 13-year professional career, he peaked in 1987, becoming only the second cyclist to win the Triple Crown of victories in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia stage races, plus the World road race championship...
's third place in the 1985 Tour de France
1985 Tour de France
The 1985 Tour de France was the 72nd Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 21, 1985, over 4109 km in 22 stages and a prologue.Bernard Hinault would attempt to equal the records of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx who had each won the Tour de France five times. Hinault was unable to...
. He told Roche to attack on the 18th stage when he first saw the route of that year's Tour. At the end of that year the La Redoute retired from the sport. Roche took Géminiani to his new team . In 1986 Géminiani was manager of Café de Colombia.
Géminiani bicycles
Géminiani followed other prominent riders in licensing his name for a range of bicycles. He made himself a sponsor of his teams. There is uncertainty whether the frames were made by Mercier or another company in Saint-ÉtienneSaint-Étienne
Saint-Étienne is a city in eastern central France. It is located in the Massif Central, southwest of Lyon in the Rhône-Alpes region, along the trunk road that connects Toulouse with Lyon...
, Cizeron. It is possible that both made them.
Sheldon Brown
Sheldon Brown (bicycle mechanic)
Sheldon Brown was an American bicycle mechanic and technical authority on bicycles. He contributed to numerous print and online sources related to bicycling, bicycle mechanics and maintenance, including his own website — and received numerous awards for his contributions.-Biography:Brown...
said of them: "A major bike of the French glory years. Many were rather unexciting, but be on the lookout for high-end examples from the early 60s with French component exotica. In prime (less than 57) sizes in nice condition top-end models with the right stuff could be worth $ 1,500 or more. The pedestrian models perhaps a few hundred at best. French bikes from the 50s and 60s are tricky stuff to understand and price.
Views on the modern Tour
The Tour should return to national teams, he believes.On the way modern riders compete, he said:
Doping
Géminiani has been outspoken about doping in cycling. He said in 1962:After the death of Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson was the most successful English road racing cyclist of the post-war years. He infamously died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967...
during the Tour de France of 1967, when drugs were found in his body and the pockets of his race jersey, he criticised the doctor:
Palmarès
1943- junior road champion
1946
- Ambert
1949
- Circuit des villes d'eaux d'Auvergne
- Tour de Corrèze
- Tour de France1949 Tour de FranceThe 1949 Tour de France was the 36th Tour de France, taking place from 30 June to 24 July 1949. It consisted of 21 stages over 4808 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.121 km/h....
:- Winner stage 19
1950
- GP de Marmignolles
- PolymultipliéeTrophée des GrimpeursThe Trophée des Grimpeurs, called Polymultipliée until 1970, is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in the region of Val-d'Oise, France, between Argenteuil and Sannois. Between 1980 and 2002 it was a criterium...
- Tour de France1950 Tour de FranceThe 1950 Tour de France was the 37th Tour de France, taking place from 13 July to 7 August 1950. It consisted of 22 stages over 4775 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.788 km/h....
:- Winner stages 17 and 19
- 4th overall
1951
- PolymultipliéeTrophée des GrimpeursThe Trophée des Grimpeurs, called Polymultipliée until 1970, is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in the region of Val-d'Oise, France, between Argenteuil and Sannois. Between 1980 and 2002 it was a criterium...
- Tour de France1951 Tour de FranceThe 1951 Tour de France was the 38th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 29, 1951. It consisted of 24 stages over 4690 km, ridden at an average speed of 32.949 km/h....
:- Winner Mountains classification
- Winner stage 9
- 2nd overall
- Grand Prix du Midi LibreGrand Prix du Midi LibreThe Grand Prix du Midi Libre was a multiple-stage cycling course in the south of France. The race, named after the newspaper that organized it, was first organized in 1949 and was an important preparation courses for the Tour de France...
1952
- Tour de France1952 Tour de FranceThe 1952 Tour de France was the 39th Tour de France, taking place June 25 to July 19, 1952. It was composed of 23 stages over 4807 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.739 km/h. Newly introduced were the arrivals on mountain peaks....
:- Winner stages 8 and 17
- Giro d'Italia1952 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1952 Giro d'Italia of was the 35th edition of the Giro d'Italia stage bicycle race, held from 17 May to 8 June 1952, consisting of 20 stages. It was won by Fausto Coppi, who returned from injury and was at the apex of his career.-Final classification:...
:
Winner mountains classification- 9th overall
1953
- national road champion
- Tour de France1953 Tour de FranceThe 1953 Tour de France was the 40th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 26, 1953. It consisted of 22 stages over 4479 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.593 km/h....
:- 9th overall
1955
- Tour de France1955 Tour de FranceThe 1955 Tour de France was the 42nd Tour de France, taking place from July 7 to July 30, 1955. It consisted of 22 stages over 4495 km, ridden at an average speed of 34.446 km/h....
:- Winner stage 9
- 6th overall
- Giro d'Italia1955 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1955 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 14 May to 5 June 1955, consisting of 21 stages. It was won by Fiorenzo Magni, the oldest winner of the Giro, at age 35....
:- 4th overall
- Vuelta a España1955 Vuelta a EspañaThe 10th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 25 to May 8, 1955. It consisted of 15 stages covering a total of 2,740 km, and was won by Jean Dotto. Fiorenzo Magni won the points classification and Giuseppe Buratti won the...
:- 5th overall
1956
- Abidjan
- Bol d'or des Monédières Chaumeil
1957
- Bol d'or des Monédières Chaumeil
- Quilan
- Tulle
- Vuelta a España1957 Vuelta a EspañaThe 12th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 26 to May 12, 1957. It consisted of 16 stages covering a total of 2,967 km, and was won by Jesús Loroño. Vicente Iturat won the points classification and Federico Bahamontes won the...
:- 5th place overall classification
- Giro d'Italia1957 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1957 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 18 May to 9 June 1957, consisting of 21 stages.This 40th edition was won by the Italian Gastone Nencini.- Final classment :- Maglia rosa holders:- Other jerseys:*Maglia verde:...
:- 5th overall
- Winner mountains classification
1958
- Bol d'or des Monédières Chaumeil
- Thiviers
- Tulle
- Tour de France1958 Tour de FranceThe 1958 Tour de France was the 45th Tour de France, taking place June 26 to July 19, 1958. The total race distance was 24 stages over 4,319 km, at an average speed of 36.919 km/h....
:- 3rd overall
- Giro d'Italia1958 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1958 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 18 May to 8 June 1958, consisting of 20 stages.This 41st edition was won by the Italian Ercole Baldini.- Final classment :- Maglia rosa holders:...
:- 8th place overall classification
1959
- GP d'Alger
- Vuelta a España1959 Vuelta a EspañaThe 14th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 24 to May 17, 1959. It consisted of 17 stages covering a total of 3,048 km, and was won by Antonio Suárez. Suárez also won the mountains classification while Rik Van Looy won the...
: