Tommy Prim (born 29 July 1955) is a retired Swedish professional cyclist who rode for the Italian

Bianchi Bianchi may refer to: Places *Bianchi, Calabria, a ''comune'' in the Province of Cosenza, Italy Manufacturing *Bianchi Bicycles (F.I.V. Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A.), an Italian manufacturer of bicycles, and former manufacturer of motorcycles and a ...

team between the years of 1980 and 1986. In 1983 he became the first Scandinavian rider to win a classic race when he was victorious in

Paris–Brussels The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a semi classic European bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur eve ...

, his other career highlights include winning

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...

and the

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. I ...

as well as twice finishing runner up in the Giro d'Italia in 1981 and 1982.

Biography

Prim rode for the local CK Wano cycling club in Varberg as a youngster and became Swedish Junior champion in 1972, as an amateur he was Swedish champion in 1976 and 1979 as well the Scandinavian amateur champion in 1975 and 1976. He took the under 22 classification of the

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...

in 1976, in what was his first trip abroad with the Swedish national team. He competed in the

team time trial A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events). The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ( ...

event at the

1976 Summer Olympics Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phi ...

. In 1978 and 1979 Prim turned in top class performances in the highly rated Italian stage race

Settimana Bergamasca The Settimana Ciclistica Lombarda ( en, Lombardic Cycling Week) is an Italian cycle road race. In 2007, the race was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions ...

, which has been won by some of the Worlds top riders before they turned professional. Prim's feats in the Bergamasca race caught the eye of the top professional teams and at the end of 1979 Prim turned professional with the Italian Bianchi-Piaggio squad, a decision which was made easier by the presence of fellow Scandinavians

Knut Knudsen Knut Knudsen (born 12 October 1950) is a retired Norwegian road and track cyclist. As an amateur, he placed fifth in the 4000m individual pursuit at the 1968 Olympics before becoming Olympic champion in the same discipline in 1972. He would foll ...

and Alf Segersäll in that team. His team manager would be master tactician Giancarlo Ferretti. Prim's made an immediate impact as a professional in his debut season of 1980, he finished seventh in the early season Tour of Sardinia and was part of the Bianchi team that won the team time trial stage at

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...

, this good form ensured him a ride in the Giro d'Italia where he took a stage into

Teramo Teramo (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Tèreme ) is a city and ''comune'' in the Italian region of Abruzzo, the capital of the province of Teramo. The city, from Rome, is situated between the highest mountains of the Apennines (Gran Sasso d'Italia) ...

as well as finishing fourth overall and taking the young riders jersey. He was also disqualified after winning the stage into

Sorrento Sorrento (, ; nap, Surriento ; la, Surrentum) is a town overlooking the Bay of Naples in Southern Italy. A popular tourist destination, Sorrento is located on the Sorrentine Peninsula at the south-eastern terminus of the Circumvesuviana rail ...

when he rode Italian sprinter Giovanni Mantovani into the barriers. Later that season he won the Italian one day race the Coppa Agostoni. Prim went to the 1981 Giro d'Italia in top form after winning the Tour de Romandie just prior to the Italian race, he ended up taking the runners up spot behind

Giovanni Battaglin Giovanni Battaglin (born 22 July 1951) is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1981 Giro d'Italia. He also won the 1981 Vuelta a España. Early years Battaglin was born in Marosti ...

, many observers felt that Prim could have won the 1981 Giro if his Bianchi squad had backed him solely instead of having three team leaders (Italians Silvano Contini and Giambattista Baronchelli were the others). In 1982 Prim finished runner up once again in the Giro, beaten by the tactically astute

Bernard Hinault Bernard Hinault (; born 14 November 1954) is a French former professional road cyclist. With 147 professional victories, including five times the Tour de France, he is often named among the greatest cyclists of all time. In his career, Hinault ...

. In 1983 he entered the Giro as sole team leader for Bianchi and everything started well when he took the leaders pink jersey after the first stage team time trial, however, his form in the mountains was uncharacteristically poor and he eventually finished a disappointing 15th overall. In September 1983 he won the

, which at that time was still regarded as a "Classic" race, he went clear with an early break which stayed away for 280 kilometres, he dropped his breakaway companions on the Alsemberg climb just before the finish and remained clear until the finish to become the first Scandinavian rider to win a classic race. 1984 promised great things when Prim won the Tirreno–Adriatico stage race in Italy but his season was ruined when he crashed a few days before the Giro. 1985 saw the team renamed as Sammontana-Bianchi, with a new manager Wladimiro Bortolozzi,

Moreno Argentin Moreno Argentin (born 17 December 1960) is an Italian former professional cyclist (from 1981 to 1994) and race director. Born in San Donà di Piave (Veneto), he won stages in the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia, and the Tour de Suisse. Known ...

was brought in to be joint team leader with Tommy. Prim finished that year's Giro in fourth place behind three of the cycling world superstars, Bernard Hinault,

Francesco Moser Francesco Moser ( or ; ; born 19 June 1951), nicknamed "Lo sceriffo" (The sheriff), is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer. He finished on the podium of the Giro d'Italia six times including his win in the 1984 edition. Moser ...

and

Greg LeMond Gregory James LeMond (born June 26, 1961) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, entrepreneur, and anti-doping advocate. A two-time winner of the Road Race World Championship (1983 and 1989) and a three-time winner of the Tou ...

. 1986 saw Prim ride a disappointing Giro d'Italia when he finished 21st overall, this prompted his team to say they would not ride the Tour of Sweden which they had always done since its reintroduction in 1982. Tommy's reaction to this was to announce his retirement from cycling midway through the 1986 season at the young age of 31, he was feeling tired and felt he could no longer give it 100%. After his retirement from cycle racing, Tommy opened a bike shop back in his native Sweden, he then moved to other employment working for a mail order firm, a saw mill and then a salmon smokery. In 2000, Tommy was offered the chance to become team manager at the small UCI registered Team Crescent, a Swedish pro squad which was to promote Swedish under 23 riders. He has had some success in bringing through talented riders as the team evolved from Team Crescent to Bianchi Scandinavia to Bianchi Nordic. The team folded at the end of the 2004 season.

Major results

Source:Tirreno Leaders Jersey
/ref> ;1972 : 1st MaillotSuecia

Time trial, National Junior Road Championships ;1976 : 1st MaillotSuecia

Road race, National Road Championships : 8th Overall Trophée Peugeot de l'Avenir ::1st Stage 3 ;1978 : 2nd Overall

Flèche du Sud The Flèche du Sud, is a road bicycle race held annually in Luxembourg. It is currently organised as a 2.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 b ...

: 9th Overall

Grand Prix Guillaume Tell The Grand Prix Guillaume Tell (, "William Tell Grand Prize") was a professional cycling race held annually in Switzerland. It was part of UCI Europe Tour in category 2.2U. In 2007, the race was part of the UCI Under 23 Nations' Cup The UCI Unde ...

;1979 : 1st MaillotSuecia

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

, National Road Championships :

Giro Ciclistico d'Italia Giro d'Italia Giovani Under 23, also known as Baby Giro, Girobio or Giro Ciclistico d'Italia, is an Italian road bicycle racing amateur stage race created in 1970. Giro d'Italia Giovani Under 23 is the most important race on Italy's U23 calendar, ...

::1st Stages 3 & 4 ;1980 : 1st

Coppa Agostoni The Coppa Ugo Agostoni is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Lissone, Italy. The race is held in memory of Italian cyclist Ugo Agostoni, winner of prestigious classic Milan–San Remo, killed during World War II. It is also called ''Gir ...

: 2nd Overall

Deutschland Tour The Deutschland Tour (English: ''Tour of Germany'' and sometimes ''Deutschland-Rundfahrt'' in German) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June, but from 2005 until 2008 it was moved to ...

: 2nd Overall

Giro del Trentino The Tour of the Alps is an annual professional cycling stage race in Italy and Austria. First held in 1962, it was named Giro del Trentino ( en, Tour of Trentino) until 2016, and run over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region o ...

: 4th Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 15 : 4th Overall

::1st Stage 2 : 7th Overall

Giro di Sardegna Giro di Sardegna (Tour of Sardinia) was a stage road bicycle race held on the island of Sardinia, an Italian region. It was rated 2.1 on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were ...

: 9th

Giro dell'Emilia The Giro dell'Emilia is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour, and since 2020 it's part of the UCI ProSeries calendar. The ...

: 9th

Gran Premio Città di Camaiore The Gran Premio Città di Camaiore was a road bicycle race held in Camaiore, Tuscany, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitio ...

;1981 : 1st Jersey green

Overall

: 1st

Trofeo Pantalica The Trofeo Pantalica was a professional road bicycle race held annually in Province of Syracuse, Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the ...

: 1st Stage 5

: 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia : 3rd Overall

: 5th

Trofeo Laigueglia The Trofeo Laigueglia is an early season road bicycle race held annually in Liguria, Italy. From 2005 to 2014, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is held about ten days after the opening to the Italian season, the Gr ...

: 6th

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia ( en, Tour of Lombardy), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cy ...

: 6th

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 ...

;1982 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

Tour of Sweden The Tour of Sweden (or Postgirot Open) was an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's f ...

::1st Stage 7b ( ITT) : 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia : 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 1 : 2nd

Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato The Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Prato, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicy ...

: 3rd Overall

Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme The Catalan Cycling Week (''Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme'' in Catalan) was a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Catalonia, Spain. Held annually from 1963 until 2005, it was run as a 2.HC race on the UCI Europe Tour in the second half of March. ...

::1st Stage 1 : 3rd Zuri–Metzgete : 5th

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five ''Monuments'' of the European professional r ...

: 5th

Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is t ...

;1983 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 6b ( ITT) & 8 : 1st

: 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 5b ( ITT) : 3rd

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 ...

: 8th Overall

;1984 : 1st MaillotEspaña

Overall

: 2nd

: 4th

;1985 : 1st Stage 3b

Danmark Rundt Danmark Rundt is a Danish stage race for professional road bicycle racers organized as a part of the UCI Continental Circuits. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, PostNord, and the race is therefore also known as PostN ...

: 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 5a ( ITT) : 4th Overall Giro d'Italia : 8th Overall

::1st Stage 6a ( ITT)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prim, Tommy 1955 births Living people Swedish male cyclists People from Svenljunga Municipality Olympic cyclists of Sweden Cyclists at the 1976 Summer Olympics Swedish Giro d'Italia stage winners Sportspeople from Västra Götaland County