Hugo Koblet

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Hugo Koblet

Personal information
Full name	Hugo Koblet
Date of birth	March 21, 1925 (1925-03-21)
Date of death	November 6, 1964 (aged 39)
Country	Switzerland
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Major wins
1950 Giro d'Italia 1951 Tour de France
Infobox last updated on:
May 24, 2008

Hugo Koblet (March 21, 1925 – November 6, 1964) was a Swiss champion cyclist.

Born in Zürich, Switzerland, his professional cycling career began in 1946. He initially made his name on the track as a pursuiter, winning the Swiss championship every year from 1947 to 1954. In 1947 he finished third in the World Pursuit Championships, and took second place in 1951 and again in 1954. He was given the nickname "Pedaleur de Charme" in 1951 by Jacques Grello a writer for Parisien Libere.

After winning the 1950 Swiss road championship, Koblet gained fame across Europe when he became the first non-Italian to win the Giro d'Italia. In 1951 he defeated the great Italian cyclist, Fausto Coppi to win the "Grand Prix des Nations," an individual time trial that at the time was considered the unofficial world championship. However, the most important victory of his road bicycle racing career came that same year at the Tour de France, during which he captured five stages and won the overall title.

Hugo Koblet was a handsome man whose fame brought a bevy of beautiful women and a lifestyle that affected his career. Although he competed with reasonable success, including two second-place finishes at the Giro d'Italia, he never regained the level of performance achieved in 1951-52, and retired from competition in 1958.

Six years after his retirement, Koblet died at the age of 39 in a car crash, under circumstances that caused speculation that his death may have been a suicide rather than an accident. Eye witnesses to the incident saw Koblet driving his white Alfa Romeo at high speed on the highway between Zürich and Esslingen. Weather and road conditions were ideal, but the vehicle reportedly drove straight into a tree without any attempt by the driver to avert the crash.

[edit] Major Road Racing Records

Awards
Preceded by Armin Scheurer	Swiss Sportsman of the Year 1951	Succeeded by Josef Stalder
Sporting positions
Preceded by Ferdinand Kübler	Winner of the Tour de France 1951	Succeeded by Fausto Coppi
Preceded by Fausto Coppi	Winner of the Giro d'Italia 1950	Succeeded by Fiorenzo Magni

v • d • e Tour de France Yellow jersey winners 1903 Maurice Garin · 1904 Henri Cornet · 1905 Louis Trousselier · 1906 René Pottier · 1907-1908 Lucien Petit-Breton · 1909 François Faber · 1910 Octave Lapize · 1911 Gustave Garrigou · 1912 Odile Defraye · 1913-1914 Philippe Thys · 1915-1918 World War I · 1919 Firmin Lambot · 1920 Philippe Thys · 1921 Léon Scieur · 1922 Firmin Lambot · 1923 Henri Pélissier · 1924-1925 Ottavio Bottecchia · 1926 Lucien Buysse · 1927-1928 Nicolas Frantz · 1929 Maurice De Waele · 1930 André Leducq · 1931 Antonin Magne · 1932 André Leducq · 1933 Georges Speicher · 1934 Antonin Magne · 1935 Romain Maes · 1936 Sylvère Maes · 1937 Roger Lapébie · 1938 Gino Bartali · 1939 Sylvère Maes · 1940-1946 World War II · 1947 Jean Robic · 1948 Gino Bartali · 1949 Fausto Coppi · 1950 Ferdinand Kübler · 1951 Hugo Koblet · 1952 Fausto Coppi · 1953-1955 Louison Bobet · 1956 Roger Walkowiak · 1957 Jacques Anquetil · 1958 Charly Gaul · 1959 Federico Bahamontes · 1960 Gastone Nencini · 1961-1964 Jacques Anquetil · 1965 Felice Gimondi · 1966 Lucien Aimar · 1967 Roger Pingeon · 1968 Jan Janssen · 1969-1972 Eddy Merckx · 1973 Luis Ocaña · 1974 Eddy Merckx · 1975 Bernard Thévenet · 1976 Lucien Van Impe · 1977 Bernard Thévenet · 1978-1979 Bernard Hinault · 1980 Joop Zoetemelk · 1981-1982 Bernard Hinault · 1983-1984 Laurent Fignon · 1985 Bernard Hinault · 1986 Greg LeMond · 1987 Stephen Roche · 1988 Pedro Delgado · 1989-1990 Greg LeMond · 1991-1995 Miguel Indurain · 1996 Bjarne Riis · 1997 Jan Ullrich · 1998 Marco Pantani · 1999-2005 Lance Armstrong · 2006 Óscar Pereiro · 2007 Alberto Contador