"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

PROFESSIONISTI

LIDL TREK. AYUSO E PEDERSEN CAPITANI AL TOUR MENTRE AL GIRO VEDREMO MILAN, CICCONE E IL DEBUTTANTE NYS

Arrivano da Alicante, dove la Lidl Trek ha aperto ai media le porte del suo ritiro, le prime indicazioni sui programmi dei corridori di punta del team statunitense.Juan Ayuso per la classifica generale e Mads Pedersen per la maglia verde...

CICLOCROSS

MVDP PRONTO ALL'ESORDIO CROSSISTICO DI NAMUR: «OBIETTIVO? L'OTTAVO MONDIALE».

Finalmente torna Mathieu van der Poel. L’olandese da domenica a Namur, in Belgio tornerà a gareggiare nel ciclocross. Il campione dell’Alpecin-Deceuninck, a 30 anni, disputerà a Namur la prova di Coppa del mondo, primo degli appuntamenti (12 o 13 cross)...

PROFESSIONISTI

MOVISTAR. UIJTDEBROEKS FARA' IL TOUR, MAS PEDALA VERSO IL GIRO

Un altro giovane talento mette il Tour nel mirino: parliamo di Cian Uijtdebroeks, il ventiduenne belga che ha lasciato la Visma Lease a Bike, dove si sentiva un po' "stretto", per approdare alla Movistar. Con i tecnici della formazione spagnola, Uijtdebroeks...

ABBIGLIAMENTO

UAE EMIRATES XRG, ECCO LA TENUTA 2026 FIRMATA PISSEI. GALLERY

La UAE Team Emirates – XRG presenta la nuova divisa per la stagione 2026: firmata da Pissei, rapprersenta il quarto capitolo di una partnership basata su innovazione, performance e ambizione condivisa. Costruire la squadra migliore al mondo non dipende mai...

EVENTI

MILANO E QUELLA FESTA A CASA ROSSIGNOLI PER IL RITORNO DEL GIRO D'ITALIA. GALLERY

La serata di mercoledì 10 dicembre 2025 ha salutato il ritorno del Giro d’Italia con una tappa domenicale, quella che chiude la seconda settimana di gara con il via da Voghera, che prevede il traguardo nel capoluogo lombardo. Tappa per...

PROFESSIONISTI

EVENEPOEL: «FARE O NO IL GIRO, QUESTA E' STATA LA DISCUSSIONE. IL TOUR CON LIPOWITZ? MEGLIO ESSERE IN DUE...»

Remco Evenepoel ha parlato nel dettaglio del suo programma e delle sue intenzioni durante la conferenza stampa che la Red Bull – Bora Hansgrohe ha tenuto in Spagna. Una sorta di esordio con i nuovi colori per il belga che...

BICICLETTE

VAN RYSEL PRONTA AD UNA GRANDE STAGIONE ACCANTO AL TEAM DECATHLON CMA CMG

Van Rysel, marchio appartenente al grande gruppo Decathlon, fornirà anche per il 2026 alla formazione Decathhlon CMA CGM divisa, caschi, occhiali e bicicletta. Restano fedeli i colori del telaio, anche se qualche piccolo cambiamento c’è rispetto alla stagione precedente. Le bici fornite al...

INTERVISTA

GUARISCHI. «IL LAVORO PER WIEBES, GLI APPUNTAMENTI IN ITALIA, IL SOGNO DI UNA TAPPA AL GIRO...»

Le onde s’infrangono sul litorale della Costa Blanca. Sulla carreggiata adiacente transita il treno SD Worx-Protime, lo squadrone World Tour femminile multinazionale. A fare l’andatura è la lecchese Barbara Guarischi. “I miei anni d’attività sono numerosi – afferma poi a...

TUTTOBICI

BLABLABIKE, MARZANO: «A DEL TORO MANCA SOLO UN PO' DI FONDO, MA È UMILE E SEGUE ALLA LETTERA I PREPARATORI...»

La UAE è un'eccellenza planetaria a larga trazione tecnica italiana. Tra i numerosi direttori sportivi del nostro Paese nel team di Pogacar, di quelli magari che si sentono meno ai microfoni e si leggono meno sui giornali, c'è Marco Marzano....

STORIA

CORSE E RICORSI. IL GP POLLO BRIANZOLO DI VILLA E CASATI CHE PORTARONO GLI AMERICANI IN BRIANZA. GALLERY

Dici Zoccorinese e subito pensi a Giovanni Villa. Quel burbero e generoso brianzolo che a modo suo ha fatto la storia del ciclismo dilettantistico nella piccola frazione di Vergo Zoccorino una realtà immersa nella natura, con splendide dimore storiche, antiche chiese...