Ercole Baldini (26 January 1933 – 1 December 2022) was an Italian cyclist. As an amateur he won an Olympic gold medal in the road race and the world title in the individual pursuit on track, both in 1956.Ercole Baldini . sports-reference.com Next year he turned professional, and in 1958 won the world title in the road race and the Giro d'Italia. He continued competing on track and won bronze medals in the individual pursuit at the world championships of 1960 and 1964.
Biography Baldini was born at Villanova di Forlì. At 21 he set the hour record for amateurs, with 44.870 km, gaining the nickname of Forlì train. His best year was 1956, in which he won a gold medal in the road race at the Summer Olympics in Melbourne, and, in September, stripped Jacques Anquetil of the hour record, riding 46.394 km at the Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan.
In 1957 he became professional and won six important races, including the Trofeo Baracchi alongside Fausto Coppi, and became Italian champion. In 1958 Baldini won the Giro d'Italia, beating Charly Gaul on the latter's favourite terrain, climbing. He was again Italian champion and also won the World Cycling Championship.. cyclingarchives.com
Baldini finished 6th in the 1959 Tour de France. His career ended in 1964 after surgery to a leg. Death Baldini died in his home in Villanova on 1 December 2022, at the age of 89.
Career achievements Major results
1953 3rd Piccolo Giro di Lombardia
1954 1st Targa D’Oro Città di Legnano World hour record (Amateurs) – 44.90km
1956 1st Olympic Games Road Race 1st UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit) 1st National Track Cycling Championships (Individual Pursuit) 1st Milano–Bologna 1st Manx International World hour record – 46.39km
1957 1st National Road Championship, Road Race 1st Coppa Brescia 1st Pescara Criterium 1st Giro della Romagna 1st Giro del Lazio 1st GP de Lugano 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Fausto Coppi) 2nd Tre Valli Varesine 2nd Grand Prix des Nations 2nd Vezzola Criterium 2nd GP Martini 2nd Cenon Criterium 3rd Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 12 3rd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria 3rd Parma Criterium
1958 1st UCI Road World Championships, Road Race 1st National Road Championship, Road Race 1st Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stages 2, 8, 15 & 17 1st Trofeo Matteotti 1st GP Industria e Commercio di Prato 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Aldo Moser) 1st Coppa Collecchio 1st Castrocaro Terme 1st Forlì Criterium 1st Riccione Criteriym 1st Stages 3b & 6a Roma–Napoli–Roma 2nd GP Martini 2nd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria 2nd San Maria Vezzola 2nd Valeggio sul Mincio 5th Desgrange-Colombo
1959 1st Castrocaro Terme 1st GP Faema 1st Giro dell'Emilia 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Aldo Moser) 2nd Bol d'Or des Monédières 2nd GP de Lugano 3rd Trofeo Longines 6th Overall Tour de France 1st Stage 18
1960 1st Grand Prix des Nations 2nd Giro dell'Appennino 2nd Trofeo Baracchi 2nd Castrocaro Terme 3rd UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit) 3rd GP de Lugano 3rd Giro del Veneto
1961 1st Trofeo Moschini 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Joseph Velly) 1st GP d'Europe 2nd Ravenna Criterium 2nd Castrocaro Terme 3rd GP du Parisien 3rd Coppa Agostoni 8th Bordighera Criterium
1962 1st Ponte di Piave 2nd Castrocaro Terme 2nd Coppa Sabatini 2nd GP de Lugano 2nd Trofeo Baracchi 3rd Giro della Romagna 4th GP Alghero 7th Overall Giro d'Italia 7th Giro di Lombardia 7th Giro del Lazio 8th Overall Tour de France
1963 1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria 1st Criterium dei Campioni 1st Coppa Placci 1st Castrocaro Terme 3rd Overall Giro del Trentino
1964 2nd Trofeo Baracchi 3rd UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit)
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 Vuelta a España———————— Giro d'Italia311741DNF726DNF Tour de France——633—8—DNF
+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish DSQ Disqualified
See also Legends of Italian sport - Walk of Fame
References
External links