Curiosity

The 1959 Giro featured an extremely high quality foreign participation. Van Looy, Gaul, and above all Anquetil, an outstanding rouleur, for whom Torriani designed a Giro with four time trial.

Although the route was not favourable to him, Gaul, worked a miracle in the stage Aosta-Courmayeur, the stage that everybody was looking for, the stage of the Monte Bianco, the places that had elected him “The Mountains’ Angel”.

Gaul, very extravagant, not keen on public relations which was a duty for champions, began that day fighting with mechanics, journalists, common people and fans and refused to be grabbed for autographs.

During the stage he first climbed the Gran San Bernardo then also the Forclaz and the Piccolo San Bernardo, building one of the most important success of the history of cycling on the 296 kilometers of the neverending stage.

When everybody thought that he had lost, with only 50 kilometers left, he rode like he was fresh as a daisy and arrived in Courmayeur alone.

At the end of that stage he conquered the Maglia Rosa and next day he was the winner in Vigorelli in Milan.

He had his revenge after the Gito he had lost in 1957 because of body needs.

Planimetry