I received the below response from Ken Denny. He helped eliminate my confusion between A. Magne and F. Magni, but I still don't know whether the Magni frame was in anyway connected with F. Magni other than sharing the last name. Anybody able to help? Lou Deeter, Orlando FL
Antonin Magne (French) is probably the cyclist you are thinging of. He was dominant during the 30's, having won the TdF in '31, '34, second in '36 as well as the points standings for 1936. His crowining achievement was perhaps the '36 Worlds Championships. He was a poster boy for simplex. After his win in the '36 worlds using a Simples "Champion d Francia" gear, the derailleur was renamed "Champion du Monde" for '37 and simultaneous production began in Italy, with the same gear aptly named Campione delMondo.
Fiorenzo Magni (Italian), reigned duriing the 50's (Ganna Ursus, Nivea), winning the GdItalia in '51 and '55 and dominating european classics, such as the Tour of Flanders (50, 51).
I have an inspirational photograph of Magni during the '57 Giro that helps inspire my donut-laden thighs up climbs. It shows Magni in excruciating pain, completing a leg in Bologna. His tanned face grimacing in mind-over-matter, a length of handlebar tape unraveled from his bars linked in tension to his clenched teeth. Cannot tell if he is steering (partially with his teeth) or simply biting hard to endure the pain. The caption tells it all:
"Fiorenzo Magni, secondo al Giro del '56, nella cronoscalata San Luca (Bologna) corre con la clavicola rotta".
He is basically competing with a dislocated shoulder, suffered earlier in the stage.