article by Nicola Pucci
The rolls of honor of the great cycling races, alas, sometimes tell competitive stories that are then nullified by regrettable events. Take for example the mischievous practice of using illicit substances, which too many times even well-known cyclists have resorted toand you will see that a reasonable number of successes certified on the finish line were then canceled by posthumous decisions. The 1969 Giro di Lombardia is one of these.
For the 63rd edition of the “classic of dead leaves” which closes the calendar of the great road races, on 11 October 1969, we start from Milan at 8.48, and a beautiful sunny day accompanies the runners who from the first kilometers show that they want to do battle. Il english Joaquim Agostinhosomeone who in his career was third twice in the Tour de France (1978 and 1979, always behind Hinault and Zoetemelk) and finished second in the 1974 Vuelta beaten only by Juan Manuel Funte, he tackles the climb of Sormano and Ghisallo alone, the summit of which he passes with a 1’50” margin over the scattered group.
The standard bearer of Frimatic of Jean de Gribaldy is reached at the beginning of Colle Balisio and will then be forced to retreat, but the platoon does not remain united for long because at the entrance to Ballabio Dancelli sprints followed by Motta and Huysmans. The three reach the summit with about forty seconds of advantage, the pursuers stall and the margin of the pacesetters rises dramaticallyso much so that in Menaggio it is 3’30” and at the beginning of the Intelvi Pass it rises to 5’10”.
On the climb Huysmans collapses, Motta and Dancelli insist by mutual agreement and in S.Fedele they still boast 4′ on the group of the best led by Delisle, Poulidor and Gimondi. On the first pass from Argegno the situation is unchanged but Dancelli is visibly suffering, experiencing cramps and when Motta asks him for collaboration, he shakes his head and invites his breakaway companion to a more moderate pace. Not even thinking about it, Motta accelerates and leaves, passing the summit with a 33″ margin over the exhausted Dancelli and 2’25” over fifteen runners including Van Springel, Pintens, Karstens, Poulidor, Gimondi, Bitossi, Janssens and Delisle.
On the lakeside Motta still has energy but behind him the battle heats up; in Cernobbio (17 km to the finish) his lead dropped to 1’25” and became 1’03” at the start of the S.Fermo. The last rough patch is too severe a judge for the ambitions of the pacesetter who collapses and struggles, losing ground.. The brawl breaks out in the chasing group: Delisle and Pintens extend on the counterattack and are the first to reach and overtake Motta. The pursuers are scattered within a few tens of metres, the situation remains uncertain and confused. At the summit Delisle and Pintens pass with about ten seconds of advantage but on the descent they lose ground and three km from the finish they are caught again from Poulidor, Poppe, Bitossi, Van Springel, Karstens, Vandenbossche and Monserè while Gimondi (in the company of Dancelli, Motta and a few others) failed to join.
Van Springel immediately goes on the counterattack but Bitossi is ready to bring the others back; we are now at the gates of Sinigaglia Stadium of Como and on the momentum Bitossi enters the track first where nine of them go to play for the victory in a rather uncertain sprint. Bitossi keeps the lead and launches the sprint from afar, he appears first in the last corner but Karstens, Monserè and Van Springel advance threateningly behind him. Bitossi is still in the lead entering the final straight but has run out of energy and is easily overtaken by Karstens and Monserè while Van Springel remains slightly closed. In the last 50 meters the shirt appears Peugeot Of Gerben Karstens, who leaps into the lead and clearly crosses the finish line firstprobably happy to “avenge” the second place in 1965 (the year in which he also won the Paris-Tours) when he was the fastest of the small group of pursuers who finished 3’11” behind the Englishman Tom Simpson, the solitary winner.
Ma the twists and turns are not over because a few days after the end of the race the analyzes judge Karstens positive in the anti-doping test: the Dutchman is therefore disqualified and deprived of the victory. Success thus passes to Jean-Pierre Monserèneo-professional of Flandersgreat hope of international cycling, which in its first year among the “large” he immediately put a triumph in his pocket which, added to the 1970 World Cup in Leicester, would make him a champion. Sad then that fate was damned ungrateful to him.
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