Mark Agree wrote: I just read of the passing of famous 1950s-60s Italian cycling champion, Nino Defilippis, today, July 13th, 2010, at 78 years old, after a prolonged battle with Cancer. I am a fan of Nino, known as "Il Cit", because of his participation with the Torpado team in 1954-55. However, he had a long career with several major teams, and rode to multiple stage wins in both the Giro d' Italia and Tour de France, among wins in many other prestigious European races. For Nino's list of palmare`s, see the Wikipedia page devoted to him: ________________________________________________________________
I became aware of Defilippis and his place in Italian cycling while reading Herbie Sykes' excellent book "Eagle of the Canavese," about the 1962 Giro d'Italia, won by Defilippis' Carpano teammate Franco Balmamion. The contentious relationship between Defilippis and Balmamion forms one of the major subplots of the book. Nino was a very classy rider and highly regarded by the public, especially in his native Piedmont region. He was a threat in just about any single-day race, and only lacked the ability to climb with the very best to be a consistent major stage race threat as well. His career overlapped those of the great triumvarate of Bartali, Coppi, and Magni, and he was one of the riders who filled the void between the decline of those champions and the emergence of Felice Gimondi in the mid 60's. One of the many riders in cycling history whose name perhaps deserves to be better known, having carved out a place only one notch or so from the very pinnacle of the sport.
Ed Granger
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA