Franco Bitossi
Franco Bitossi (born 1 September 1940) is an Italian former professional cyclist for Filotex. He was born in Camaioni di Carmignano.
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Franco Bitossi | ||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Cuore matto (Crazy heart) | ||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 September 1940 Camaioni di Carmignano, Italy | ||||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Retired | ||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | ||||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | ||||||||||||||||
| Major wins | |||||||||||||||||
| Tour de France points classification (1968) Tirreno–Adriatico (1967) Giro di Lombardia (1967, 1970) | |||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Career
Bitossi cycled for three years as an amateur and became a professional in October 1961, after he had reached the required age of 21.[1] As a professional cyclist, from 1961 until 1978, he won a total of 171 races.
In 1965 he won the Tour de Suisse and the Züri-Metzgete, which he won again in 1968. In 1967 he won the Tirreno–Adriatico, Giro di Lombardia and Coppa Agostoni, while the following year he became the first Italian to win the points classification in the Tour de France.[2]
In 1970, he won the Italian championship.[3]
In 1972 he became famous for his near victory at the World Championship in Gap, France, where he was beaten by only a few meters by his teammate Marino Basso.[1]
Four years later, in 1978, he won the Italian Championship again.[3]
Bitossi was nicknamed Cuore matto ("Crazy heart") due to a cardiac arrhythmia which often compelled him to stop midway in a stage.[4]
Major results
- 1964
- Giro d'Italia:
- 1965
- Tour de Suisse
- Züri-Metzgete
- Giro d'Italia:
- Mountains classification
- 1966
- Giro d'Italia:
- Mountains classification
- Tour de France
- 1st stages 5 and 17
- 1967
- 1st Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 1st Giro di Lombardia
- 1st Coppa Agostoni
- 1968
- 1st Züri-Metzgete
- Tour de France
Points classification
Combination classification- 1st Stages 7 & 16
- 1969
- 1st
Points classification Giro d'Italia - 1st Coppa Agostoni
- 1970
- 1st
Road race, National Road Championships - 1st Points classification Giro d'Italia
- 1st Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 1st Giro di Lombardia
- 1971
- 1st Coppa Agostoni
- 1976
- 1st Road race, National Road Championships
References
- Franco Bitossi, the Grand Champion with the "Crazy Heart"
- Jacques Augendre (2009). "Guide Historique, part 6" (PDF) (in French). Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2010.
- Statistics Franco Bitossi Archived 17 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine in Cycling Archives Retrieved 2010-05-07
- Franco Bitossi at Cycling Archives
