Giuseppe Ticozzelli (; 30 April 1894 – 3 February 1962) was an Italian footballer who played as a defender. On 18 January 1920, he represented the Italy national football team on the occasion of a friendly match against France in a 9–4 home win. A cycling enthusiast, Ticozzelli decided to participate to the

1926 Giro d'Italia The 1926 Giro d'Italia was the 14th edition of the Giro d'Italia, a Grand Tour organized and sponsored by the newspaper ''La Gazzetta dello Sport''. The race began on 15 May in Milan with a stage that stretched to Turin, finishing back in Mi ...

as an independent, wearing a black jersey. He completed three stages, but since he ran alone without ''

soigneurs A cycling team is a group of cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important in road bicycle racing, which ...

'', he had to stop at taverns in order to eat, with considerable loss of time. He retired during the fourth stage after being hit by a motorcycle. Remembering his unorthodox participation, in the

1946 Giro d'Italia The 1946 Giro d'Italia was the 29th edition of the Giro d'Italia, organized and sponsored by the newspaper '' La Gazzetta dello Sport''. The race began on 15 June in Milan with a stage that stretched to Turin, finishing back in Milan on 7 Ju ...

it was introduced the '' maglia nera'' (black jersey), awarded to the last cyclist to finish the race. Later, he left for Italian East Africa as a military volunteer, and lost his eyesight fighting against Abyssinian ''guerrillas''.

References

1894 births 1962 deaths Italian men's footballers Italy men's international footballers Men's association football defenders US Alessandria Calcio 1912 players SPAL players Casale FBC players Italian people in Italian East Africa Footballers from Lombardy {{Italy-footy-defender-1890s-stub