# Felice Gimondi

Felice Gimondi (Italian pronunciation:; 29 September 1942 – 16 August 2019) was an Italian professional racing cyclist. With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the second cyclist (after Jacques Anquetil) to win all three Grand Tours of road cycling: Tour de France (1965, his first year as a pro), Giro d'Italia (1967, 1969 and 1976), and Vuelta a España (1968). He is one of only seven cyclists to have done so.
Gimondi also won three of the five Cycling monuments, winning the Giro di Lombardia twice, and finished on the podium of a grand tour twelve times.
He accomplished all of these major victories despite his career coinciding with that of Eddy Merckx.

## Biography

Gimondi was born on 29 September 1942 in Sedrina in the Province of Bergamo. He was the son of a transport manager and a post mistress. In his youth, he frequently took his mother's post bicycle and later helped to deliver mail on it. In 1964, Gimondi rode the road race at the 1964 Olympic Games, where he finished in 33rd place. After winning the Tour de l'Avenir, he was signed, in 1965, as a professional to the Salvarani team. With the withdrawal of another cyclist from Salvarani's 1965 Tour de France team, Gimondi was added at the last minute and later recalled that he had to ask his mother for permission to start the race. He took the yellow jersey on stage 3, but lost the race lead later when he waited for his nominal team captain Vittorio Adorni. Adorni later dropped out, leaving Gimondi to fight out the overall victory with Raymond Poulidor, securing the Tour in the final time trial.
His early successes led to him being regarded as a successor to well-renowned fellow Italian Fausto Coppi, nicknamed campionissimo. Gimondi's career coincided for the most part with that of highly-successful Eddy Merckx. However, Gimondi was able to build up a respectable palmarès himself, even through the era of Merckx' dominance.
After winning the 1967 Giro d'Italia and the 1968 Vuelta a España, Gimondi had become the second-ever rider to have won all three Grand Tours after Jacques Anquetil. He won the Giro a further two times, first in 1969. In 1976, Gimondi was not counted among the favourites, being regarded as past his prime, but overcame a deficit on race leader Johan De Muynck in the final time trial to take his third victory in the race. His success was subsequently called the "miracle in Milan".
His other successes include four victories in the so-called "monument classics", winning Paris–Roubaix in 1966, Milan–San Remo in 1974 and the Giro di Lombardia twice (1966 and 1973). In the 1973 World Championship road race, he formed a group with Luis Ocaña and Freddy Maertens to bridge a gap to Merckx, who had attacked earlier. At the finish, he outsprinted Maertens to clinch the title. He had already placed third in 1970 and second in 1971. Gimondi also won Paris–Brussels twice, in 1966 and 1976.
He failed twice to pass doping controls, first in the 1968 Giro d'Italia and then at the 1975 Tour de France. His positive test at the 1968 Giro was for the stimulant Fencamfamin, but since the substance was not on the prohibited list at the time, he kept his third place overall at the race. At the 1975 Tour, he received a 10-minute time penalty.
A major cyclosportive event is named in his honour, the Gran Fondo Felice Gimondi, held annually around Bergamo. Since 2019, it honours all seven riders to have won all three Grand Tours.
Throughout his career and after it, Gimondi was closely associated with the bicycle manufacturer Bianchi. In the late 1980s, Gimondi was briefly directeur sportif at the Gewiss–Bianchi team. He served as manager for Bianchi's mountain-bike team for a long period of time. Between 2000 and 2001, Gimondi briefly worked as president of the Mercatone Uno–Albacom team and as an advisor to Marco Pantani. At the end of the 1998 Tour de France, race organiser Jean-Marie Leblanc invited Gimondi onto the stage during the podium celebration, when Pantani became the first Italian winner of the race since he had himself won the event in 1965. In 2008, Gimondi was the president of the TX Active – Bianchi cycling team which specializes in MTB races.
In 1968, Gimondi married Tiziana Bersano, with whom he had two daughters, Norma and Federica.
Gimondi died on 16 August 2019 after suffering a heart attack while swimming on vacation in Sicily. He was 76. His funeral was held on 20 August in Paladina near Bergamo, attended by thousands of people. His long-time rival Eddy Merckx did not attend, stating that he was "too saddened" by the loss of his friend.

## Career achievements
### Major results

Source:

#### 1963

    1st Giro del Friuli

#### 1964

    1st Overall Tour de l'Avenir
       1st Stage 1

#### 1965

    1st Overall Tour de France
       1st Stages 3, 18 (ITT) & 22 (ITT)
    2nd La Flèche Wallonne
    3rd Overall Giro d'Italia
    3rd Tre Valli Varesine
    4th Overall Tour de Romandie

#### 1966

    1st Paris–Roubaix
    1st Giro di Lombardia
    1st Paris–Brussels
    1st Coppa Agostoni
    1st Coppa Placci
    1st GP Valsassina
    2nd Trofeo Matteotti
    2nd Critérium des As
    2nd Grand Prix des Nations
    2nd Gran Premio di Lugano
    2nd Boucles de l'Aulne
    3rd Giro di Toscana
    5th Overall Giro d'Italia
       1st Stage 20
    8th Tre Valli Varesine
    9th Overall Tour of Belgium
    10th Overall Tour de Romandie
       1st Stage 3b (ITT)
    10th Tour of Flanders
    10th La Flèche Wallonne

#### 1967

    1st Overall Giro d'Italia
    1st Grand Prix des Nations
    1st Giro del Lazio
    1st Gran Premio di Lugano
    1st GP Forlì
    2nd Giro di Lombardia
    2nd Ronde de Seignelay
    3rd Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
    3rd Critérium des As
    3rd Coppa Bernocchi
    4th Road race, National Road Championships
    4th Tour of Flanders
    4th Milan–San Remo
    4th À travers Lausanne
    7th Overall Tour de France
       1st Stages 10 & 20
    10th Trofeo Laigueglia

#### 1968

    1st Road race, National Road Championships (Giro di Romagna)
    1st Overall Vuelta a España
       1st Stage 17 (ITT)
    1st Trofeo Baracchi
    1st Grand Prix des Nations
    1st Critérium des As
    1st Flèche Enghiennoise
    2nd Volta a Catalunya
    2nd Overall À travers Lausanne
    2nd Gran Premio di Lugano
    3rd Overall Giro d'Italia
       1st Stage 16 (ITT)
    3rd Overall Paris–Luxembourg
    3rd Gent–Wevelgem
    3rd Boucles de l'Aulne
    4th La Flèche Wallonne
    6th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    7th Giro di Lombardia
    8th Overall Giro di Sardegna
    8th Trofeo Laigueglia
    10th Tirreno–Adriatico

#### 1969

    1st Overall Giro d'Italia
    1st Overall Tour de Romandie
    1st Giro dell'Appennino
    2nd Overall Paris–Luxembourg
       1st Stage 1
    2nd Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
       1st Stage 1a
    2nd Tour of Flanders
    3rd Giro dell'Emilia
    4th Overall Tour de France
       1st Stage 12
    4th Paris–Roubaix
    4th Barcelona-Andorra
    7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    8th Trofeo Dicen

#### 1970

    1st Overall (TTT) Cronostaffetta
    1st Trofeo Matteotti
    2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
    2nd Giro di Lombardia
    2nd Road race, National Road Championships
    2nd Giro del Veneto
    2nd Genoa–Nice
    2nd Mont Faron hill climb
    3rd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
       1st Stage 5b (ITT)
    3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
    3rd Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    3rd Tre Valli Varesine
    5th Overall À travers Lausanne
    8th Overall Tour de Suisse
       1st Stage 6
    9th Giro dell'Emilia
    9th Coppa Placci

#### 1971

    1st Giro del Piemonte
    1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
    1st Prologue Tour de Romandie
    1st Stage 2b (ITT) Cronostaffetta
    2nd Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    2nd Road race, National Road Championships
    2nd Milan–San Remo
    2nd Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
    2nd GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
    4th Coppa Placci
    4th Coppa Bernocchi
    5th Overall Volta a Catalunya
    7th Overall Giro d'Italia
       1st Stages 7 & 18
    8th Paris–Roubaix
    9th Overall Giro di Sardegna
    9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    9th Giro di Lombardia
    9th Tre Valli Varesine

#### 1972

    1st Road race, National Road Championships (Giro dell'Appennino)
    1st Overall Volta a Catalunya
       1st Stage 5b (ITT)
    1st Gran Premio di Lugano
    2nd Overall Tour de France
    2nd Gent–Wevelgem
    2nd Giro del Piemonte
    2nd Trofeo Baracchi
    3rd Giro di Lombardia
    3rd Giro dell'Emilia
    5th Giro della Romagna
    6th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
    8th Overall Giro d'Italia
    9th Giro di Toscana
    10th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

#### 1973

    1st Road race, UCI World Road Championships
    1st Overall Giro di Puglia
       1st Stage 1
    1st Giro di Lombardia
    1st Giro del Piemonte
    1st Trofeo Baracchi
    1st Coppa Bernocchi
    2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
       1st Stage 16 (ITT)
    2nd Overall À travers Lausanne
    2nd Critérium des As
    3rd Milan–San Remo
    5th Giro della Romagna
    6th Overall Tour de Romandie
    6th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
    7th Giro dell'Emilia
    10th Paris–Brussels

#### 1974

    1st Milan–San Remo
    1st Coppa Agostoni
    2nd Road race, National Road Championships
    2nd Overall À travers Lausanne
       1st Stage 1
    3rd Overall Giro d'Italia
    3rd Trofeo Laigueglia
    3rd Giro dell'Umbria
    6th Gran Premio di Lugano
    6th Giro di Campania
    7th Paris–Brussels

#### 1975

    1st Overall Cronostaffetta
       1st Stage 1b (ITT)
    2nd Giro dell'Emilia
    3rd Overall Giro d'Italia
    3rd Coppa Placci
    4th Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
    5th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
    6th Overall Tour de France
       1st Stage 10
    6th Overall À travers Lausanne
    7th Overall Giro di Puglia
    7th Milano–Torino
    7th Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
    9th Coppa Sabatini

#### 1976

    1st Overall Giro d'Italia
       1st Stage 21
    1st Paris–Brussels
    5th Giro del Lazio
    7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
    8th Giro dell'Emilia
    8th Coppa Placci

#### 1977

    2nd Giro del Lazio
    4th Overall Tour de Romandie
    5th Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
    6th Giro di Toscana
    10th Overall Giro di Puglia

#### 1978

    2nd Châteauroux Classic
    10th Critérium des As

### Grand Tour results timeline

| Grand Tour | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 |
| Vuelta a España | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Giro d'Italia | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 11 |
| Tour de France | 1 | — | 7 | — | 4 | — | — | 2 | — | — | 6 | — | — | — |
Source: