Ercole Baldini (26 January 1933 – 1 December 2022) was an Italian cyclist. As an amateur he won an Olympic gold medal in the road race and the world title in the individual pursuit on track, both in 1956.
. sports-reference.com Next year he turned professional, and in 1958 won the world title in the road race and the Giro d'Italia. He continued competing on track and won bronze medals in the individual pursuit at the world championships of 1960 and 1964.

Biography

Baldini was born at Villanova di Forlì. At 21 he set the

hour record The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious reco ...

for

amateurs An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History ...

, with 44.870 km, gaining the nickname of ''Forlì train''. His best year was 1956, in which he won a gold medal in the road race at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, and, in September, stripped

Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil (; 8 January 1934 – 18 November 1987) 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. He stated before the 1961 Tour that he would gain the y ...

of the hour record, riding 46.394 km at the

Velodromo Vigorelli Velodromo Vigorelli (from 2001 officially Velodromo Maspes-Vigorelli) is a semi-covered velodrome in Milan, Italy. It is currently used mostly for American football events, in fact, surrounded by the track, there is a standard size football f ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. In 1957 he became professional and won six important races, including the

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 ...

alongside

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 became Italian champion. In 1958 Baldini won the Giro d'Italia, beating Charly Gaul on the latter's favourite terrain, climbing. He was again Italian champion and also won the

World Cycling Championship The UCI world championships are annual competitions promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to determine world champion cyclists. They are held in several different styles of racing, in a different country each year. Championship winne ...

.Ercole Baldini
cyclingarchives.com Baldini finished 6th in the 1959 Tour de France. His career ended in 1964 after surgery to a leg.

Death

Baldini died in his home in Villanova on 1 December 2022, at the age of 89.

Career achievements

Major results

;1953 :3rd

Piccolo Giro di Lombardia The Piccolo Giro di Lombardia is a one-day cycling race held annually in Lombardy, Italy. It is part of UCI Europe Tour in category 1.2U, meaning it is reserved for under 23 riders. The race acts as the U23 counterpart to the Giro di Lombardia T ...

;1954 :1st Targa D’Oro Città di Legnano :

World hour record The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious reco ...

(Amateurs) – 44.90km ;1956 :1st Gold medal

Olympic Games Road Race :1st Jersey rainbow

UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit) :1st Jersey italianflag

National Track Cycling Championships (Individual Pursuit) :1st Milano–Bologna :1st Manx International :

– 46.39km ;1957 :1st Jersey italianflag

National Road Championship, Road Race :1st Coppa Brescia :1st

Pescara Pescara (; nap, label= Abruzzese, Pescàrë; nap, label= Pescarese, Piscàrë) is the capital city of the Province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 119,217 (2018) residents (and approxim ...

Criterium :1st

Giro della 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 Me ...

: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 GP de Lugano :1st

(with

) :2nd

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 ...

:2nd

Grand Prix des Nations The Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa ...

:2nd Vezzola Criterium :2nd

GP Martini Gp or GP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * Gameplanet (New Zealand), a New Zealand video game community * GamePolitics.com, a blog about the politics of computer and video games * ''GamePro'', a monthly video game magazine * ...

:2nd

Cenon Cenon (; Gascon: ''Senon'') is a commune in the Gironde department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It is a suburb of the city of Bordeaux, and is adjacent to it on the east side. Population See also *Communes of the Gironde dep ...

Criterium :3rd Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 12 :3rd

Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria The Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria is a road bicycle race held annually in Province of Reggio Calabria The Province of Reggio Calabria ( it, Provincia di Reggio Calabria) was a province in the Calabria region of Italy. It was the souther ...

:3rd

Parma Parma (; egl, Pärma, ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmigiano-Reggiano, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,292 ...

Criterium ;1958 :1st Jersey rainbow

UCI Road World Championships, Road Race :1st Jersey italianflag

National Road Championship, Road Race :1st Jersey pink

Overall Giro d'Italia ::1st Stages 2, 8, 15 & 17 :1st

Trofeo Matteotti Trofeo Matteotti is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Pescara, 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 competitions which ...

:1st

GP 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 bicyc ...

:1st

(with

Aldo Moser Aldo Moser (7 February 1934 – 2 December 2020) was an Italian cyclist. Biography Moser rode in 16 editions of the Giro d'Italia and 4 of the Vuelta a España, totalling 20 Grand Tours. He came from a famous family of cyclists, including his y ...

) :1st Coppa Collecchio :1st

Castrocaro Terme Castrocaro Terme e Terra del Sole ( rgn, Castruchèira or ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Forlì-Cesena in the Italian region Emilia-Romagna, located about southeast of Bologna and about southwest of Forlì. The ''comune'' co ...

:1st

Forlì Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna. The city is situated along the Via E ...

Criterium :1st

Riccione Riccione (; rgn, Arciôn ) is a ''comune'' in the Province of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. As of 2018, Riccione had an estimated population of 35,003. History The oldest archaeological findings in Riccione's area date to the 2nd cen ...

Criteriym :1st Stages 3b & 6a

Roma–Napoli–Roma Roma–Napoli–Roma (English: Rome–Naples–Rome) was a road cycle race held from 1902 until 1961. The race had different names during its history: ''Corsa del XX Settembre'' (''Race of 20 September'') from 1919 to 1927, as it was raced in S ...

:2nd

:2nd San Maria Vezzola :2nd

Valeggio sul Mincio Valeggio sul Mincio is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Verona in the Italian region Veneto, located about west of Venice and about southwest of Verona. It is crossed by the Mincio river. The economy is mostly based on agriculture ...

:5th Desgrange-Colombo ;1959 :1st

:1st GP Faema :1st

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 ...

:1st

(with

) :2nd

Bol d'Or des Monédières The Bol d'or des Monédières was a cycling criterium that took place after the Tour de France, traditionally on the first Thursday in August. It was run on a circuit of about 20 kilometers to be covered seven times, around the village of Cha ...

:2nd GP de Lugano :3rd Trofeo Longines :6th Overall

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 ...

::1st Stage 18 ;1960 :1st

:2nd

Giro dell'Appennino The Giro dell'Appennino is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Famous riders like Fausto Coppi, Francesco Moser, Felice Gimond ...

:2nd

:3rd UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit) :3rd GP de Lugano :3rd

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 ...

;1961 :1st Trofeo Moschini :1st

(with

Joseph Velly Joseph Velly (10 March 1938 – 29 September 2016) was a French racing cyclist. He rode in the 1962 Tour de France The 1962 Tour de France was the 49th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race consisted of ...

) :1st GP d'Europe :2nd

Ravenna Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the cap ...

Criterium :2nd

:3rd

GP du Parisien The Grand Prix du Parisien was an annual road bicycle race held in Paris, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories i ...

:3rd

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 ...

:8th

Bordighera Bordighera (; lij, A Bordighea, locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, and it is possible to see the French coast with a nak ...

Criterium ;1962 :1st

Ponte di Piave Ponte di Piave is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about northeast of Venice and about northeast of Treviso. Ponte di Piave borders the following municipalities: Breda di Piave, Chiaran ...

:2nd

Coppa Sabatini The Coppa Sabatini is a late season road bicycle race held annually in Province of Pisa, Italy. From 2005 to 2019, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2020, it was added to the UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is t ...

:2nd GP de Lugano :2nd

:3rd

:4th

GP Alghero Gp or GP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Gaming * Gameplanet (New Zealand), a New Zealand video game community * GamePolitics.com, a blog about the politics of computer and video games * ''GamePro'', a monthly video game magazine * ...

:7th Overall Giro d'Italia :7th

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 ...

:7th

:8th Overall

;1963 :1st

:1st Criterium dei Campioni :1st

Coppa Placci The Coppa Placci is a semi classic European bicycle race held between Imola, Italy and San Marino. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after Antonio Placci, a cyclist born in Imola w ...

:1st

:3rd 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 ...

;1964 :2nd

:3rd UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit)

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldini, Ercole 1933 births 2022 deaths People from Forlì Italian male cyclists Giro d'Italia winners Italian Giro d'Italia stage winners Italian Tour de France stage winners Olympic cyclists of Italy Cyclists at the 1956 Summer Olympics UCI Road World Champions (elite men) Olympic gold medalists for Italy Olympic medalists in cycling Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics Cyclists from Emilia-Romagna Sportspeople from the Province of Forlì-Cesena 20th-century Italian people