Fiorenzo Magni (; 7 December 1920 – 19 October 2012) was an Italian professional

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

Biography

Magni was born to Giuseppe Magni and Giulia Caciolli, and had an elder sister Fiorenza. Bulbarelli, pp. 14–15 He started competing in cycling in 1936, in secret from parents. His early successes became known to locals, including his parents, they allowed him to continue. After the death of his father in December 1937, Magni left school to take over his father's business and provide incomes for the family, yet he continued his cycling workouts. Fiorenzo Magni 1942

Shortly before the war in Italy on 10 June 1940, Magni was recruited to serve as a gunner at the 19th Regiment of Florence, although he had requested to become a bersagliere, while being licensed to dispute a race, its battalion was embarked for

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

, but the ship, where he should have been on board, also sank without leaving survivors. He moved to the Olympic Battalion of Rome where he remained until 1943 when he returned to Florence at the 41st Artillery Regiment. After the armistice of 8 September 1943 he was recalled to serve the newborn

Italian Social Republic The Italian Social Republic ( it, Repubblica Sociale Italiana, ; RSI), known as the National Republican State of Italy ( it, Stato Nazionale Repubblicano d'Italia, SNRI) prior to December 1943 but more popularly known as the Republic of Salò ...

and, in the Voluntary Military Forces of National Security, he was in charge of the railway control at the side of the carabinieri in

Vaiano Vaiano is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Prato in the Italian region of Tuscany. It is located about northwest of Florence and about north of Prato. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 9,532 and an area of .All de ...

, his country of birth. In January 1944 Magni's battalion, together with carabinieri, men of the Muti Legion and the Carita' Band, was involved in a violent confrontation with the local partisans, giving rise to the Battle of Valibona, with deaths on both sides. When Magni arrived the fights were already over, but later on he would be charged with numerous accusations, including the killing of Lanciotto Ballerini, the band leader. On 5 November 1947 Magni married Liliana Calò; they had two daughters, Tiziana and Beatrice. In 1951, in the year of the 90th-century celebration of the Unification of Italy (1861-1951), the Giro d'Italia opened with a visit to the altar of Patria in Rome. Magni is not invited with the rest of the race participants because of his past militancy in the

(RSI). Subsequently Magni, victoriously concludes the Giro d'Italia in 1951. Bulbarelli, pp. 69, 376 In 1951, at the peak of his cycling career, Magni started working for

Moto Guzzi Moto Guzzi is an Italian motorcycle manufacturer and the oldest European manufacturer in continuous motorcycle production. Established in 1921 in Mandello del Lario, Italy, the company is noted for its historic role in Italy's motorcycling ma ...

, and two years later began selling cars with

Lancia Lancia () is an Italian car manufacturer and a subsidiary of FCA Italy S.p.A., which is currently a Stellantis division. The present legal entity of Lancia was formed in January 2007 when its corporate parent reorganised its businesses, but it ...

. Later in 1980 he became an official dealer for

Opel Opel Automobile GmbH (), usually shortened to Opel, is a German automobile manufacturer which has been a subsidiary of Stellantis since 16 January 2021. It was owned by the American automaker General Motors from 1929 until 2017 and the PSA Grou ...

and some Asian companies. In the 1980s he was also involved in trading petroleum products with Giorgio Albani. Magni terminated his business activities in 2009. He died on 19 October 2012 in

Monza Monza (, ; lmo, label=Lombard language, Lombard, Monça, locally ; lat, Modoetia) is a city and ''comune'' on the River Lambro, a tributary of the Po River, Po in the Lombardy region of Italy, about north-northeast of Milan. It is the capit ...

, near

Monticello Brianza Monticello Brianza ( Brianzöö: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Lecco in the Italian region Lombardy, located in Brianza about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Lecco Lecco (, , ; lmo, label= Lecchese, Lècch ) ...

, where he had lived since 1975.

Professional cycling career

During the war Magni combined track and road events, but later focused on road racing. He was the "third man" of the golden age of Italian cycling, at the time of the rivalry between

Fausto Coppi Angelo Fausto Coppi (; 15 September 1919 – 2 January 1960) was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the World War II, Second World War. His successes earned him the title ''Il Campionissimo'' ("Champio ...

and

Gino Bartali Gino Bartali (; 18 July 1914 – 5 May 2000), nicknamed Gino the Pious and (in Italy) Ginettaccio, was a champion road cyclist. He was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice, in 19 ...

. The highlights of his career were his three overall wins in the

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

1951 Events January * January 4 – Korean War: Third Battle of Seoul – Chinese and North Korean forces capture Seoul for the second time (having lost the Second Battle of Seoul in September 1950). * January 9 – The Government of the United ...

and

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

Giro d'Italia, and the three consecutive wins (record) at the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organi ...

(1949, 1950 and 1951). Magni excelled at racing in extreme weather conditions, especially in cold, windy, rainy or snowy days. All three of his victories at the

were in harsh, cold conditions. He rode

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

in 1949–53 and wore the

yellow jersey The general classification is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey (french: maillot jaune ). History Th ...

at least once.Fiorenzo Magni
cyclingarchives.com During the 12th stage of the

1950 Tour de France The 1950 Tour de France was the 37th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 13 July to 7 August. It consisted of 22 stages over . Gino Bartali, captain of the Italian team, threatened and assaulted by some French supporters accusing hi ...

, while he was wearing the

, he was forced to retire from the race (together with all the other Italian riders) by Bartali, captain of the Italian team, who had been threatened and assaulted by some French supporters accusing him of causing

Jean Robic Jean Robic (; 10 June 1921 – 6 October 1980)L'Équipe, 9 July 2003 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 (1.61m, 60 kg) and appearanc ...

's fall. Years later, when asked about how he felt abandoning in the

he replied: "Of course I felt bad about that but I believe that there are bigger things than a technical result, even one as important as winning the Tour de France." Fiorenzo Magni 1956

In the 1956 Giro d’Italia, stage 12, Fiorenzo Magni famously broke his left

clavicle The clavicle, or collarbone, is a slender, S-shaped long bone approximately 6 inches (15 cm) long that serves as a strut between the shoulder blade and the sternum (breastbone). There are two clavicles, one on the left and one on the rig ...

and still managed to finish second overall. At the hospital he refused a plaster cast and refused to abandon the Giro in the year of his announced retirement. Magni continued the race with his shoulder wrapped in an elastic bandage. To compensate for his inability to apply force with his left arm, he raced while holding a piece of rubber inner tube attached to his handlebar between his teeth for extra leverage. Since his injury prevented him from effectively braking and steering with his left hand, Magni crashed again after hitting a ditch by the road during a descent on stage 16. He fell on his already broken clavicle, breaking his humerus, after which he passed out from the pain. They put him in an ambulance, but when Magni regained his senses and realized that he was being taken to the hospital he screamed and told the driver to stop. Magni took his bike and was able to finish the stage in the peloton, which had waited for him. Of the evening that followed Magni said "I had no idea of how serious my condition was, I just knew that I was in a lot of pain but I didn't want to have X-rays that evening". Just four stages later, the infamous 20th stage of Giro '56 dawned where Luxembourg's Charly Gaul would execute his legendary mountain stage victory in Trento, haunted by snow and ice over the Costalunga, Rolle, Brocon and Bondone climbs. That day 60 people abandoned the race, and Gaul went from 16 minutes behind to winning the 1956 Giro; Magni, despite his injuries, placed second, 3 minutes and 27 seconds behind Gaul. Magni has been mentor to at least two famous frame builders.

Ernesto Colnago Ernesto Colnago (born 9 February 1932) is an Italian entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally ...

worked on his first Giro d'Italia in 1954 as second mechanic. First mechanic at that time was Faliero Masi, who Magni described in an interview as “The best mechanic of all time.” It was Masi’s idea to use the piece of inner tube attached to his handlebar when he broke his clavicle the 1956 Giro d’Italia. When asked what it was like to ride against Coppi and Bartali, Magni replied: "In life, defeats are more likely to happen than wins. Losing to Coppi and Bartali, and therefore congratulating them, is an experience that I am happy to have had and an experience that taught me a lot. I have always admired them for what they could do and esteemed them for who they were. Not only were they champions, they were also great men. Why do you think we are still speaking about them? Because they made history. I consider myself lucky because racing with them I could be part of this history. I would have won more without them but it wouldn't have been during a legendary cycling era."

Career achievements

Major results

;1942 : 1st

Giro del Piemonte The Giro del Piemonte, since 2009 known also as Gran 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 E ...

;1947 : 1st

Tre Valli Varesine The Tre Valli Varesine is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Varese, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is usually the first and most important race of Trittico Lombardo, which c ...

: 9th Overall Giro d'Italia ;1948 : 1st Jersey pink

Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 19 ;1949 : 1st

: 1st

Giro della Toscana The Giro di Toscana is a road bicycle race held annually in Tuscany, Italy. From 2005 to 2014, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race was not held in 2015. On 4 April 2016 it was announced that the race will ...

: 1st

Trofeo Baracchi The Trofeo Baracchi was a major Italian cycling race that ran for 50 years. It was created by Mino Baracchi, in memory of his father Angelo who was a great cycle racing fan. Originally (from 1941) an amateur individual time trial, from 1944 it wa ...

: 6th Overall

::1st Stage 10 ;1950 : 1st

: 1st

: 1st Stage 8

: 6th Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 16 ;1951 : 1st Jersey pink

Overall Giro d'Italia : 1st Jersey italianflag

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st

: 1st

Giro del Lazio The Giro del Lazio is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Lazio, Italy. From 2005 to 2008, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing ...

: 1st

Giro di Romagna The Giro della Romagna was a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Italian region of Romagna. After 2005, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race was discontinued in 2011, and in 2013, it merged with the M ...

: 1st

Milano–Torino Milano–Torino is a semi classic European single day cycling race, between the northern Italian cities of Milan and Turin over a distance of 199 kilometres. The event was first run in 1876 making it the oldest classic race in the world. The ev ...

: 1st

: 2nd

Road race,

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

: 7th Overall

::1st Stage 18 ;1952 : 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia : 6th Overall

::1st Stages 6 & 22 : 1st Rome–Naples–Rome ;1953 : 1st Jersey italianflag

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st

: 1st

Giro del Veneto The Giro del Veneto is a classic cycle races, semi classic European Road bicycle racing, bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. The race is a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2012 the race merged with another Italian classic, Coppa ...

::1st Stages 9 & 22 : 1st Sassari–Cagliari : 1st Rome–Naples–Rome : 9th Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 10, 16 & 21 ;1954 : 1st Jersey italianflag

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st

: 1st Milan–Modena : 6th Overall Giro d'Italia ;1955 : 1st Jersey pink

Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 2 :

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

::1st

Points classification The points classification is a secondary award category in road bicycle racing. Points are given for high finishes and, in some cases, for winning sprints at certain places along the route, most often called ''intermediate sprints''. The points cl ...

::1st Stages 7, 13 & 15 : 1st

: 1st Milan–Modena ;1956 : 1st

: 1st

: 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

Bibliography

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Magni, Fiorenzo 1920 births 2012 deaths Sportspeople from the Province of Prato Italian military personnel of World War II Italian male cyclists Giro d'Italia winners Italian Giro d'Italia stage winners Italian Tour de France stage winners Cyclists from Tuscany

Biography

Professional cycling career

Career achievements

Major results

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

See also

References

Bibliography

External links