Bologna, 29 June 2024 – In its 111 editions the Tour de France he had never had his Grand Depart in Italia but, in this all-yellow story, there are several Italian champions who managed to get into the prestigious book of the Grand Boucle and what will come remember in these magical four days, including the legendary cyclist from Romagna Marco Pantani, to whom it is dedicated a part of the race of this year. If there have been and will be many Italians who put on a show in the more than one hundred year journey of the yellow ridethere are only 7 who have won the yellow jersey by climbing onto the final podium of the Champs Elysees.
Marco Pantani, legend of world cycling, will be remembered during the first time of the Tour de France in Italy (archive photo)
It was 1924 when the first Italian winner of the Tour de France was Octavius Bottecchiafirst runner also to carry the yellow shirt from the first to the last stage. He achieved the double in 1925. Let’s move forward and we arrive at 1948 when, after having won it before the war in 1938, Gino Bartali wins the tour again 10 years later, a performance never equalled again. A victory that for Italy was much more: with the success he managed to calm the heated spirits after the attack on Togliatti and avoid civil war. In 1952, three years after his first success, at the end of a fratricidal duel with Gino Bartali, another page is written by Fausto Coppi who wins the Tour again, crushing the competition. A historic moment was in 1960 when General De Gaulle received the homage of the platoon and the yellow jersey in Colombey-les-deux-églises Gastone Nencinithe future winner. It is 5 years later, in 1965, that Felice Gimondiwinner at his first participation, definitively consolidates his yellow jersey during a stopwatch at Aix-les-bains with arrival at Mont Revard.
Unforgettable 1998 con Marco Pantanibest young man of the Tour in 1994 and 1995, who won the General classification building his victory in the mountain stages and on the legendary Two Alps. The boy of Cesenatico reawakened that love never subsided with his irresistible uphill sprints that made us seasick in the mountains Miguel Indurain. He was the last to bring home theGiro-Tour doublea feat that this year will look for PogacarBefore Pantani, only six others had achieved this combination: Eddy Merckx 4 times, Bernard Hinault 3 times, Fausto Coppi 2 times, Jacques Anquetil 2 times, Miguel Indurain 2 times, Stephen Roche once.
Along the route where the Tour winds, some initiatives recall the legend of Marco Pantani. A Rimini was inaugurated a five-meter-high statue which depicts him, created by designer Aldo Drudi. TO Cesenatico was accomplished a 20 x 20 metre giant photograph on perforated fabric, on the lawn of the municipal stadium where the starting village will be set up.
We then have to wait until 2014 to find the last Italian winner: attacking from the first stages and then dominating the mountain challenges Vincenzo Nibali becomes the last Italian dominator of the Tour de France.
They are the seven Italian winners who managed to put their name in the book of Tour de France but Italy’s numbers are definitely interesting: 28 yellow jersey wearers, two green jerseys in the points classification, 12 wins of the Mountain Grand Prix, five winners of the best young person classification, 269 stage victories from Ernesto Azzini in 1910 to Vincenzo Nibali in 2019, 12 for Gino Bartali and Mario Cipollini who share the record, 9 stage cities to date from Sanremo in 1948 to Pinerolo in 2011.
And now, among the 22 teams and 176 Italian participants competing in the Tour there are only 7 of them: Giulio Ciccone (Lidl-Trek), 2023 jersey of best climber, the new Italian champion Alberto Bettiol (EF Education – Easypost), Gianni Moscon (Soudal), Davide Formolo (Movistar), Luca Mozzato (Arkea), Davide Ballerini with the comrade Michele Gazzoli (Astana).
