"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

PISTA

TRICOLORI ASSOLUTI. MORO E VECE RE E REGINA DELLA VELOCITA' ELITE

Miriam Vece torna protagonista agli Assoluti di San Francesco al Campo, conquistando il titolo italiano nella Velocità donne elite, specialità che da anni la vede ai vertici anche in campo internazionale. La cremonese delle Fiamme Oro firma una prova di...

PROFESSIONISTI

TOUR OF DENMARK, VAN AERT SUBITO A SEGNO DOPO IL FORFAIT DEL TOUR: AD AALBORG BATTUTI KUBIS E PEDERSEN

Si apre nel segno di Wout van Aert il PostNord Tour of Denmark 2026. Superando in volata i sette uomini coi quali si era avvantaggiato nel finale, il belga del Team Visma Lease a Bike ha conquistato infatti la prima tappa...

PISTA

TRICOLORI ASSOLUTI. VEGLIA E FERRANTE CAMPIONI ITALIANI DEL KEIRIN JUNIORES

A casa del Pool Cantù GB Junior arriva il titolo tricolore di Alberto Veglia. Il cuneese di Cherasco si è infatti aggiudicato la finale del Keirin juniores agli Assoluti di San Francesco al Campo (Torino), confermando il suo valore nelle...

PISTA

TRICOLORI ASSOLUTI. FIORIN FIRMA IL TRIS TRICOLORE NELL'ELIMINAZIONE ELITE

Matteo Fiorin firma il tris tricolore nella gara a Eliminazione Elite maschile. Anche questa volta il brianzolo del Centro Sportivo Esercito fa valere la sua superiorità, regolando nell’ultimo sprint il campione olimpico Francesco Lamon (Fiamme Azzurre) con una progressione di...

COMPONENTISTICA

POC. ULTRA TOP TUBE BAG, STILE E TECNICA DA RIFERIMENTO

La Ultra Top Tube Bag di POC con 1, 7 L vi offre lo spazio necessario per tenere tutto quello che vi serve davvero sottomano e direttamente sul tubo orizzontale, un posizionamento che la rende non solo facilmente usufruibile, ma anche...

PISTA

TRICOLORI ASSOLUTI. BARBIERI MATTATRICE, QUARTO TITOLO PER LA MODENESE

Per Rachele Barbieri arriva il quarto titolo tricolore sulla pista Francone di San Francesco al Campo. Dopo la velocità a squadre, l’Omnium e l’inseguimento a squadre, la modenese delle Fiamme Oro completa la sua collezione d’oro imponendosi anche nella volata...

PISTA

TRICOLORI ASSOLUTI. ELISA BIANCHI E PADOVAN CONQUISTANO L'OMNIUM JUNIORES. GALLERY

Dopo il titolo nell’inseguimento a squadre, Nicola Padovan si prende anche il tricolore dell’Omnium juniores, aprendo con un acuto la terza e penultima giornata degli Assoluti di San Francesco al Campo. Il trevigiano dell’Accademia Ciclistica Caneva domina la prova con...

NEWS

IL POGGIO DI SANREMO SI RIFÀ IL LOOK

E' stata inaugurata oggi, in cima al Poggio di Sanremo, la nuova e riqualificata Piazza della Libertà, alla presenza di Alessandro Mager, Sindaco di Sanremo, Alessandro Sindoni, assessore al Turismo e allo Sport del Comune di Sanremo, Massimo Donzella, assessore...

PROFESSIONISTI

TOUR DE L’AIN. PRIMA DA PRO E MAGLIA DI LEADER PER BELOKI (EF), ANTICIPATI ISIDORE E CONCI.

Due giorni dopo il suo 21esimo compleanno, Markel Beloki festeggia la sua prima affermazione in una competizione professionistica nella seconda tappa del Tour de l'Ain (aveva già vinto al Tour Alsace di classe 2.2.) e regala il secondo successo consecutivo alla...

DONNE

NEL 2027 DECATHLON CMA CGM APRIRA' IL TEAM FEMMINILE

Nell'ambito del suo piano strategico ONE 2024–2030, il team DECATHLON CMA CGM compie un nuovo passo nel proprio sviluppo con la creazione della squadra femminile, a partire dalla stagione 2027. Sostenuto dai title partner DECATHLON e CMA CGM, dal partner...