So... with Coppi absent, who are the favorites for overall victory in the 1950 Tour de France?
Besides Coppi, seven men have stood on the podium in Paris since 1947: Gino Bartali (winner in 1948 & 2nd in 1949), Pierre Brambilla (3rd in 1947), Edouard Fachleitner (2nd in 1947), Guy Lapébie (3rd in 1948), Jacques Marinelli (3rd in 1949), Jean Robic (winner in 1947), and Albéric Schotte (2nd in 1948). All seven return for the 1950 edition.
Other possible contenders include Swiss powerhouse Ferdi Kubler (winner of the 1950 Giro d'Italia), and the French pair Raphael Géminiani and Louison Bobet. But what about the teams?
The ten-man Italian National Team is perhaps the strongest, with Bartali and Magni as team leaders. Both men have proven their power in the mountains and speed in the sprint. Magni is quicker against the stopwatch, but Bartali has a better all-round record.
The Belgium National Team also fields ten riders, among them potential stage winners Marcel Dupont, Marcel Hendrickx, Roger Lambrecht, and Albéric Schotte, while Constant Ockers and Raymond Impanis could make an impression on the G.C.
France's ten National Team members include Marinelli, Apo Lazaridès, Géminiani, and Bobet - the first two are pure climbers, while the later pair have more well-rounded abilities. Perhaps they can make-up for the team's disastrous 1949 Tour.
Switzerland fields a National Team of six riders, with Kubler the only real G.C. contender.
Luxemburg also has six riders, with Jean Goldschmit the most likely team leader.
None of the six members of the Dutch National Team are likely to contend for G.C. honors - stage wins are probably the most they can hope for.
The six Cadets Italian include sprinters Adolfo Leoni, Julio Bresci, and Alfredo Pasotti, but more than likely they will be working for the big guns on the National Team.
The half-dozen Belgian "Aiglons" will probably be trying for a stage win.
The Paris team is ten in number, but without a potential G.C. contender.
The same can be said of the ten members of Ile de France - Nord-Est.
The ten Ouest riders will certainly be focusing on Robic's chances, with invaluable support from Jean-Marie Goasmat, Gino Sciardis, and André Mahé.
Centre - Sud-Ouest fields ten riders, with former yellow jersey Marcel Dussault a likely stage winner again this year.
Sud-Est includes among it's ten riders Brambilla, Bernard Gauthier, Raoul Remy, and Antonin Rolland. Look for stage wins from this squad.
Nord-Afrique includes six riders, with Ab Del Kader Zaaf the most likely team leader.
So there you have it - fourteen teams, 116 riders. Several possible favorites, but no obvious choice leading up to the 1950 Tour de France.
(Complete team rosters and jersey illustrations later this week.)
Aldo Ross
Middletown, Ohio