"EL PIPA" BERNARDO RUIZ: 100 YEARS OF THE CHAMPION WHO MADE HISTORY AND HAD COPPI IN HIS HEART

EVENTS | 10/01/2025 | 08:10
di Francesca Monzone
Bernardo Ruiz, known to everyone as El Pipa, is considered the first professional Spanish cyclist in history and last Tuesday turned 100 years old. Born in 1925, El Pipa was the first Spaniard to stand on the Tour de France podium in 1952 and won the Vuelta in 1948. Spain celebrated him as they do with great heroes and he, with great emotion and humility, accepted meeting journalists, the city council, and many fans and sports personalities who came to Orihuela.
Bernardo Ruiz made Spanish sports history and in 100 years, the former cyclist from Alicante province has seen everything happen in his life, but he will always be remembered for being the first Spaniard to stand on the Tour de France podium in 1952, behind Fausto Coppi and Belgian Stan Ockers. He also had success in Italy and, although he never made the podium of the Giro, he won a stage in Rome in 1955. In his homeland, he was the best cyclist for a long time, after winning the Vuelta in 1948 and having three National Championships to his credit.
For Bernardo Ruiz, like most people born before the Great War, sport was a necessity for survival and he started cycling after the Civil War. At 11 years old, he went to the black market and regularly covered the distance between Orihuela, his hometown, and Cartagena, over 80 kilometers, carrying 50 kilos of food, drinks, and all kinds of goods. Moreover, he did this on roads in terrible condition. What he did to survive transformed into experience and helped him win an amateur race and understand he could have a future in cycling.
El Pipa, who was one of the cycling greats in his Spain, had an idol who was not from his land, but was Italian. It was Fausto Coppi, the Heron to everyone, with whom he loved to race. "The best rider I ever saw was Fausto Coppi" – Ruiz recalled during his 100-year celebration - "I appreciated him both on and off the road. He was a gentleman, a humble guy. But when he started shooting with his bike, no one could follow him".
Bernardo's merit, according to all those close to him who could tell his story, was maintaining the humility that always characterized him. Every time he went to France to race the Tour, he returned home loaded with tires, sprockets, and other spare parts. Even the pharmacists in his town asked him to bring penicillin because at that time there was none. Everything was for his friends, for his family. He was always willing to help because he knew there was little money for cycling in Spain. The government during the years he raced was not very supportive of him, but El Pipa never stopped, proving he could compete with Italians, French, and Belgians.
In his hometown of Orihuela, Bernardo Ruiz crossed the entrance of the municipal theater in his wheelchair and many people were waiting for him. In difficult moments, when roads were rough, Bernardo Ruiz paved the way for subsequent generations. But the true success that Spain recognized in this champion of another era was not the multitude of trophies won, but the ability to achieve his dream of becoming a cyclist in those years when Spain was going through true poverty and he, with his bike, had the strength to race for himself and for all those Spanish cyclists who would arrive in the following years and who today, a hundred years after his birth, have come to say thank you.

COMMENTI

Per poter commentare i post devi esser registrato.
Se sei giá nostro utente esegui il login altrimenti registrati.

TBRADIO

00:00

JUNIORES

NASCE LA CHALLENGE EROICA JUNIORES, DUE GIORNI SUGLI STERRATI DI TOSCANA

La VI Eroica Juniores – Coppa Andrea Meneghelli compie un salto di dimensione e diventa il cuore della nuova Challenge Eroica Juniores, il progetto internazionale dedicato alla categoria juniores che il 23 e 24 maggio 2026 unirà due gare, due...

GIRO D'ITALIA

EULALIO. «MI DIVERTIVO IN MTB, ORA SONO NEL WORLD TOUR, ORA SONO IN ROSA, ORA SONO... FELICE»

La favola di Afonso Eulalio, nuova maglia rosa del Giro d'Italia, comincia in mountain bike: “E io mi divertivo di andare in Mtb, ero felice. Ora corro nel WorldTour e sono qui al Giro con la maglia rosa addosso, è...

I VOTI DEL DIRETTORE

I VOTI DI STAGI. ARRIETA, EULALIO, VINGEGAARD: UNA TAPPA DA PROIETTARE NELLE SCUOLE DI CICLISMO

Igor ARRIETA. 10 e lode. Volete capire il ciclismo, la retorica di uno sport che è sostanza? Riguardate con calma sul “device” e sulla piattaforma che preferite questa tappa. Andatevela a rivedere, fatela vedere alle ragazzine e ai ragazzini che sognano...

GIRO D'ITALIA

GATTI & MISFATTI. LA SQUADRA RIGIDA E LA SQUADRA ELASTICA

Di sicuro la Lidl ha fatto bene i suoi calcoli, un teorema che niente e nessuno può smontare, me lo spiegano apertamente al mattino sul lungomare di Praia, “s'è deciso già a gennaio che in questo Giro avremmo corso per...

GIRO D'ITALIA

ARRIETA. «UNA VITTORIA CHE SIGNIFICA MOLTO PER ME»

È il Giro dei sogni: ieri lo ha realizzato Giulio Ciccone, oggi è stata la volta di Igor Arrieta 23 anni, figlio d'arte con papà José Luis che è stato uno dei fedelissimi gregari di Miguel Indurain per tutta la...

GIRO D'ITALIA

GIRO D'ITALIA. ARRIETA VINCE SUL TRAGUARDO DI POTENZA: EULALIO (2°) È NUOVA MAGLIA ROSA, TANTI ITALIANI TRA I MIGLIORI

Più forti della pioggia e delle scivolate. Igor Arrieta e Afonso Eulálio sono stati gli assoluti protagonisti della quinta tappa del Giro d'Italia: alla conclusione dei 203 chilometri che oggi hanno portato il gruppo da Praia a Mare a Potenza, l'alfiere...

PROFESSIONISTI

UNGHERIA. MERLIER VINCE LA PRIMA TAPPA. BUDA, PARISINI E DE LONGHI NELLA TOP TEN

Tim Merlier ha fatto valere la sua legge nella prima tappa del Tour de Hongrie, la Gyula - Békéscsabaappa di 143, 1 km. L’esperto velocista belga della Soudal Quick Step ha preceduto nell’ordine il colombiano Molano della UAE e il...

DONNE

NAVARRA ELITE CLASSIC, CAT FERGUSON DOMINA LO SPRINT. 7A ARIANNA FIDANZA

Sprint potente, implacabile, perfetto quello della britannica Cat Ferguson sul traguardo della Navarra Elite Classics, prova di categoria 1.PS del calendario femminile. Al termine di una corsa di 133, 4 km, la ventenne portacolori della Movistar - giunta al suo...

SCARPE

FIZIK, ERGOLACE 2, L'EVOLUZIONE DELLA SCARPA OFF-ROAD PIÙ VERSATILE

Fizik presenta oggi le nuove Ergolace 2, l'ultima evoluzione dell’iconica e più versatile scarpa off-road, un prodotto pensato per i ciclisti che vogliono spingersi oltre nelle avventure in sella. Ergolace 2 soddisfa i moderni ciclisti che praticano gravel e lo...

GIRO D'ITALIA

UN GIRO DI TWEET. I MILLE RUOLI DI SOBRERO, I MILLE PRONOSTICI DI GARZELLI

La Lidl Trek smentisce che Matteo Sobrero, dopo aver aiutato Gee West a rientrare da una foratura e Ciccone a prendere la maglia rosa, abbia lavato il pullman e tirato lo straccio nelle camere. Prima del via da Praia a...