The 1952 Tour de France marks the very peak of Fausto Coppi's career.

Never as in that year, the Campionissimo dominated, coming from the Giro d'Italia which still remembers the most legendary solo breakaway ever during the Cuneo-Pinerolo stage. In France, Fausto appears as an undisputed favourite and confirms his standing in each and all of the mountain stages, starting from the Alpe d'Huez climbed for the first time thet year. Bartali is 38 years old, he is faithful to his role of Italian national team member in support of the captain and he is still able to keep up with everyone else. He finished 4th place, 47 seconds away from the podium and after having contributed to writing indelible pages of the cycling history. On the Galibier, the passage of a water bottle between the two arch rivals became an icon of the last century. Even more important, in technical terms, a spontaneous passage of wheel, from Bartali to Coppi wearing the yellow jersey, after his second flat (for the first one was Magni) on a gravel section on the Côte d'Azur.

Giancarlo Brocci