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Fausto Coppi was the dominant international cyclist of the years around the Second World War and came to epitomize the panache of pro cycling’s golden years.
He was a stylish, innovative and dominant all-rounder, excelling in climbing, time trialing, and sprinting.
He won the Giro d'Italia five times, the Tour de France twice, and the World Championship in 1953. He also won the Giro di Lombardia five times, the Milan – San Remo three times, as well as wins at Paris–Roubaix and La Flèche Wallonne and taking the hour record in 1942.
Coppi was a known doper at a time when doping was legal but frowned upon, and this helped spur the intense rivalry he had with the more pious fellow racer Gino Bartali. He also experimented with diet and training techniques – anything to help him win, which he did so repeatedly.
Amongst this formidable schedule of wins he had a dramatic life off the bike too, being taken as a prisoner of war and later having an affair with the married, glamorous ‘woman in white’ Giulia Occhini, attracting much controversy in conservative 1950’s Italy.
Coppi died in January 1960 after contracting a bout of non-diagnosed malaria during a 1959 race in Africa. At just 40 years of age, he certainly ‘lived fast and died young’.
Coppi was nicknamed Italy's "Il Campionissimo", or champion of champions, and Soigneur is proud to pay tribute to him with one of our most popular jerseys.
A bit of Tour voodoo: the number 51 has been worn by more winners than any other number
