The Wisdom of Géminiani ROULEUR MAGAZINE
The Wisdom of Géminiani ROULEUR MAGAZINE Words: Isabel Best 28 June, 1947 It’s the first Tour de France since the war; No one apart from Géminiani, Anquetil’s the year René Vietto unravels and loses his directeur sportif. You can see him in the yellow jersey on a 139k time-trial. The year background, standing up through the Breton schemer Jean Robic attacks—and sunroof of the team car. “There was no wins—on the final stage into Paris. But on more a duel than there were flying pigs,” this particular day, in a tarmac-melting Géminiani recalled many years later. heatwave, a young rider called Raphaël “When you’re at your limits in the Géminiani is so desperately thirsty, he gets mountains, you should never sit on your off his bike to drink out of a cattle trough, rival’s wheel. You have to ride at his side. thereby catching foot and mouth disease. It’s an old trick. With Anquetil at his level, Not the most auspicious of Tour beginnings Poulidor was wondering what was going for a second year pro. on. He thought maybe Jacques was stronger than him. Well, you can see, he 18 July, 1955 wasn’t looking great. Only, an Anquetil Another heatwave. This time on Mont who’s not in top form is still pretty good.” Ventoux. Géminiani is in the break, with the Swiss champion Ferdi Kübler and a French regional rider, Gilbert Scodeller. Ferdi A few snapshots from the 50 Tours de attacks. “Be careful, Ferdi; The Ventoux is France of Raphaël Géminiani.
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