"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

VUELTA

TRONCHON. «STAGIONE DIFFICILE, SETTIMANA DURISSIMA, POI OGGI...»

La Vuelta a España regala un'altra sorpresa. La decima tappa, che sembrava destinata a premiare uno dei nomi più conosciuti del gruppo, ha invece incoronato Bastien Tronchon, 24enne francese della Groupama-FDJ United, capace di conquistare una vittoria tanto inattesa quanto...

I VOTI DEL DIRETTORE

I VOTI DI STAGI. VAN AERT, PEDERSEN, CORT: I BIG OGGI SONO TUTTI BOCCIATI

Bastien TRONCHON. 10 e lode. Il 24enne transalpino della Groupama FDJ vince di prepotenza, con lucida determinazione. Prende e va. Prima vittoria in stagione, la terza in carriera. Insomma, non è quel che si dice un “cecchino”, ma per come...

DILETTANTI

CIRCUITO DI CESA. IL RUSSO SAVEKIN SUPERA BRAFA E FERMANELLI

Anche l’anno scorso era stato protagonista brillante nel finale conquistando alla fine un buon quinto posto, ma stavolta Ilya Savekin atleta russo che corre nella formazione spagnola PC Baix Ebre Tortosa, ha compiuto un capolavoro staccando tutti all’inizio dell’ultimo giro...

DILETTANTI

SOMMACAMPAGNA. DE LONGHI ROMPE IL GHIACCIO SULLE STRADE DEL VERONESE

Prima vittoria stagionale per Lorenzo De Longhi. Il trevigiano della Campana Imballaggi Morbiato Trentino, stagista presso la Cofidis di Roberto Damiani, si è aggiudicato allo sprint la 74sima Medaglia d'Oro Antica Fiera di Sommacampagna per dilettanti, che oggi si è...

VUELTA

VUELTA. COLPO A SORPRESA DI TRONCHON! 5° ROMELE

E alla fine spunta Bastien Tronchon! Nella decima tappa della Vuelta a España 2026, con arrivo a Elche de la Sierra dopo 184, 7 km, è andato in scena un finale super caotico, con finisseurs e squadre senza treni: dal...

PROFESSIONISTI

LIDL-TREK, SLITTA IL RIENTRO DI MILAN: NIENTE ZLM TOUR PER IL CAMPIONE D’ITALIA

Bisognerà attendere ancora un po’ per vedere Jonathan Milan spillarsi nuovamente il numero sulla schiena. Come ha infatti spiegato Ciro Scognamiglio de La Gazzetta dello Sport, il campione d’Italia avrebbe dovuto prender parte questa settimana allo ZLM Tour (in...

MERCATO

GUERCILENA INCOMINCIA UNA NUOVA AVVENTURA, CICCONE PENSA A QUALCOSA DI NUOVO

Oggi inizia ufficialmente la nuova avventura di Luca Guercilena in Rcs Sport & Events. Fine dell’esperienza in Lidl-Trek, ora il manager milanese incomincia una nuova sfida in campo organizzativo. Nel team che per sedici anni ha diretto con assoluta sapienza...

NEWS

PRESENTATO IL MEMORIAL PANTANI 2026: SI CORRE IL 12 SETTEMBRE

È stata presentata questa mattina, nella prestigiosa cornice del Palazzo del Turismo di Riccione, la 23ª edizione del Memorial Marco Pantani, la gara internazionale per professionisti che si disputerà sabato 12 settembre, con partenza da Riccione e arrivo a Cesenatico....

NEWS

RIORGANIZZAZIONE PICNIC. CURVERS PROMOSSO DIRIGENTE: GANI, WINSTON E RULLIERE AI SALUTI

In vista della stagione 2027, il Team Picnic PostNL evolverà la propria struttura tecnica, con Roy Curvers che passerà dal ruolo di allenatore a una posizione di primo piano all’interno della gestione sportiva della squadra. Roy fa parte della squadra...

ABBIGLIAMENTO

GIRO. ECLIPSE PRO, IL CASCO AERO DI VINGEGAARD: 280 GRAMMI PER SFIDARE IL CALDO

Come spesso accade in casa Giro, anche l’Eclipse Pro nasce da una strettissima collaborazione con i professionisti e in questo caso, come riportato nel nostro articolo che potete leggere QUI, lo zampino di Jonas Vingegaard e dell’intera Visma Lease a Bike è di...