"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.
A quattro giorni della trionfale conclusione del Tour de France 2026, Tadej Pogacar continua a incassare apprezzamenti e complimenti unanimi per quanto realizzato nelle tre settimane di corsa che l’hanno portato a vestire la quinta maglia gialla della carriera...
Secondo giorno e secondo titolo italiano per Alberto Veglia agli Assoluti su pista di San Francesco al Campo. Dopo il successo nel Keirin, il cuneese del Pool Cantù GB Junior si conferma protagonista assoluto conquistando l’oro nel KM da fermo...
Arriva un altro titolo lombardo ai Campionati Italiani su pista di San Francesco al Campo: nel KM da fermo juniores donne vince Sara Peruta, bergamasca del Team Petrucci Gauss, che firma la miglior prestazione con un convincente 1’11”087. Alle sue...
Si discute sempre di carboidrati, spesso di proteine, ma che ruolo hanno i grassi nella dieta di un corridore? E quando parliamo di grassi, non si può non pensare al ruolo fondamentale che ha l’olio extravergine d’oliva, presente in qualsiasi...
Il tempo è tiranno, ma lo è anche lo spazio. Anzi, i due sono complici: il tempo satura lo spazio. E con il Covid o l’estate, arriva il momento del repulisti. Si comincia puntando a liberare la soffitta, ci si...
Il bilancio del Tour de France vinto da Tadej Pogačar al centro della puntata di questa sera (ore 21:00) di Velò, la rubrica di Rete8 interamente dedicata al ciclismo. Analisi, commenti e le pagelle delle tre settimane della Grande Boucle...
Mentre gran parte dei protagonisti del Tour de France 2026 si stanno finalmente concedendo qualche giorno di meritato riposo, Remco Evenepoel ha già rimesso il casco e fissato il prossimo traguardo. Dopo il brillante secondo posto conquistato a Parigi alle...
La Lidl Trek si presenta alla partenza del Tour de France Femmes con tre leader e una formazione molto simile a quella vista al Giro d’Italia Women. Elisa Balsamo, vincitrice di quattro tappe alla “corsa rosa” e reduce dal secondo...
Sabato 19 settembre si corre il Gran Premio del Lazio, che rievoca il tradizionale Giro del Lazio la cui ultima edizione risale al 2014 (Valverde l’ultimo vincitore) e che riporta i professionisti del ciclismo a percorrere e a darsi battaglia...
Torna questa sera alle 20.30 sulle frequenze di Teletutto l'appuntamento con Ciclismo Oggi, lo storico appuntamento dedicato al mondo delle due ruote. Una puntata davvero interessante che si divide tra agonismo e approfondimento tecnico. Ad aprire la puntata saranno le immagini degli Esordienti...
4
4
Ritratti
Oscar
Albi d'Oro
Se sei giá nostro utente esegui il login altrimenti registrati.