"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

GIRO D'ITALIA

MARTEDI' 3 FEBBRAIO LE WILDCARD PER IL GIRO E LE CORSE TARGATE RCS

La Vuelta España e il Tour de France hanno giocato d'anticipo annunciando le loro wildcard già oggi? Bene, il Giro d'Italia è pronto a rispondere! Da quanto abbiamo saputo, martedì 3 febbraio sarà il grande giorno: saranno ufficializzate le scelte...

NEWS

TROFEO SERRA TRAMUNTANA, EVENEPOEL INCANTA TUTTI: ASSOLO DI 49 CHILOMETRI E 1ᵃ VITTORIA IN LINEA DELLA STAGIONE. 3° SCARONI

Remco Evenepoel non delude le attese e, ventiquattro ore essersi imposto assieme ai compagni nella cronosquadre del Trofeo Ses Salines, risale subito sul gradino più alto del podio imponendosi in grande stile al Trofeo Serra Tramuntana. Con un attacco...

EVENTI

VISENTINI NELLA HALL OF FAME DEL GIRO, TRA GLI AMICI DI SEMPRE E L'APPELLO DI COLNAGO: «TORNA NEL CICLISMO...». GALLERY.

«Il momento più bello della carriera? Quando ho smesso...» In questa frase, che non sai mai quanto sia vera o quanto frutto del personaggio, si addensano tante peculiarità che rendono unico Roberto Visentini e il suo ingresso nella Hall of...

PROFESSIONISTI

ALULA TOUR. SPRINT PERFETTO DI MALUCELLI, MILAN STAVOLTA SI ARRENDE. 6° MOSCHETTI

La quarta tappa dell’AlUla Tour, la Winter Park - Hegra di 173, 4 km - regala il primo successo stagionale a Matteo Malucelli. Il romagnolo della XdS Astana ha preceduto Jonathan Milan (Lidl Trek) e l’olandese Frits Biesterbos della Picnic...

CICLOCROSS

MONDIALI HULST. ITALIA D'ARGENTO NELLA STAFFETTA MISTA VINTA DALL'OLANDA

Con la prova della Staffetta Mista oggi sono scattati da Hulst, in Olanda, i Campionati del Mondo di Ciclocross. Ottima partenza per gli azzurri che conquistano la medaglia d'argento a soli 16" dal titolo appannaggio dell'Olanda. Bronzo al Belgio, quarta...

TOUR DE FRANCE

TOUR DE FRANCE 2026. LE WILDCARD ASSEGNATE A TOTALENERGIES E CAJA RURAL-RGA

Tutto come avevamo anticipato: ASO ha assegnato le wildcard per il Tour de France 2026 alla francese TotalEnergies (che arriverà alla 27a partecipazione consecutiva alla Grande Boucle, un record per una squadra che non fa parte del WorldTour) e alla...

PROFESSIONISTI

VUELTA ESPAÑA. ASSEGNATE LE WILD CARD, SORRIDONO BURGOS E EQUIPO KERN PHARMA

La Vuelta España è il primo grande Giro del 2026 ad assegnare le wildcard e a definire il quadro delle formazioni partecipanti. Oltre ai 18 team del WorldTour saranno al via della corsa spagnola le tre formazioni ProTeam che hanno...

PISTA

DUE GIORNI DI BERLINO. SCARTEZZINI E DONEGA' A CACCIA DEL PODIO

Questa sera e domani, Michele Scartezzini delle Fiamme Azzurre e Matteo Donegà del CTF saranno impegnati nella Due Giorni in pista di Berlino, Dopo la vittoria ottenuta in coppia con Consonni a Brema, Scartezzini punta al podio in coppia con Donegà all'ultima gara della...

ABBIGLIAMENTO

SCICON SPORTS. AEROBEAM TITANIUM: INNOVAZIONE, PRESTAZIONI E FUNZIONALITA'

Il nuovo occhiale Aerobeam Titanium nasce come sempre accade in casa Scicon Sports da una grande intuizione ma si tratta anche di un nuovo modello che va a soddisfare le pressanti richieste di chi desidera scegliere occhiali ad altissime prestazioni in grado di...

PROFESSIONISTI

ALULA TOUR. FRATTURA DEL PROCESSO SPINOSO DELLA TERZA VERTEBRA LOMBARE, LUNGO STOP PER REX

La caduta che si è verificata ieri, nel corso della terza tappa dell'AlUla Tour, ha avuto conseguenze pesanti per il belga Laurenz Rex della Soudal Quick Step. Il team scrive infatti questa mattina: «In seguito all'incidente nella terza tappa dell'AlUla...