The Eagle of the Canavese

Author:

By Herbie Sykes

Format:

Hardback (Paperback)

Availability:

In print, usually dispatched within 3-4 days.

Price:

£17.95

Tagged with:

Cycling, Franco Balmamion, Giro d'Italia

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Further Details

• Published: 12th May 2008
• ISBN: 1874739501
• Pages: 195
• Size: 228mm x 155mm

From the Publisher:

In the early 1960s a young Piedmontese cyclist named Franco Balmamion won successive editions of the Giro d'Italia, an achievement no Italian has managed to emulate in almost half a century since. In the post-war era only Balmamion and the three greats Coppi, Merckx and Induraín, have successfully defended the fabled maglia rosa. And yet virtually nothing is known of a rider whose Giro record surpassed all but the very best, and who, with a fraction of the support others enjoyed, may well have won not only a third Giro, but also the Tour de France.

In capturing the 1962 Giro Balmamion, the so-called 'Silent Champion', displayed extraordinary courage, overcoming not only his rivals but also the mutiny and skullduggery of a famous, celebrated team-mate. His epic performance, aged just 22, was the equal of anything achieved by any of the true giants of the sport, but remains a story untold, ignored by the cycling world, obscured by the mists of time.

In an unforgettable quest to recover the memory of 'The Eagle of the Canavese' Herbie Sykes uncovers the secrets of an extraordinary race, and of the heroes and villains who defined it. Their stories, by turns astonishing, heroic and heartbreaking, are as immediate and relevant today as they were back then.