Velotology Educational Series(VES).

Hello, Velotologists 

It’s time for yet another episode of VES. The historical figure of today is the popular French cyclist of Italian descent Raphaël Géminiani. He is known for his strong character and high-level performance throughout his 14-year career. Later he managed Jacques Anquetil and the St-Raphaël team.

Escaping Italy’s Fascist Regime

In the 1920s, many Italians immigrated to France due to the repressive policies of Mussolini’s government. The family of Raphaël Géminiani was part of that immigration wave as the bicycle shop that Géminiani’s father was managing in Lugo (a town in northern Italy) was burned to the ground.

But Géminiani’s father was a determined man and didn’t give up easily. After relocating to France, he opened a new bike shop. The maintenance of the shop required extra manpower and like many other famous cyclists, Géminiani quit school early to help as education doesn’t matter when a family has no resources. 

His main job was wheel building – an activity that you either love or hate as it requires a lot of precision and patience. (On the other hand, it’s also a good form of what I call “active” meditation”.)

Tough Fatherly Love 

Initially, Géminiani’s father didn’t support the cycling dream of his younger son due to his stature – the boy lacked muscle mass in the lower body. 

He thought that his older son, Angelo, was meant to be the racing star. But that didn’t discourage Raphaël Géminiani from training.

Eventually, Géminiani’s father began coaching his “little boy” too while taking into consideration his sprinting capabilities. 

In 1943, at the Premier Pas Dunlop race, Géminiani’s father instructed his son to attack before the final hill. The advice worked and Géminiani won with a 20-second lead. In the sixth position was none other than Louison Bobet (another rising star and future rival).

Desperation and Dehydration: The Epic Saga of Géminiani’s First Tour

Géminiani’s Tour de France debut in 1947 was a brutal experience due to the epic heat that could melt the roads. 

After getting dehydrated to the point where he couldn’t think straight Géminiani drank water from a cattle trough and got poisoned (normally only cows can drink such water and be fine). 

The outcome was severe fever impairing his vision too. Luckily, the recovery was relatively short – six days. But he had to drop out of the race and get hospitalized. 

Géminiani Had a Legendary “Don’t Mess With Me” Attitude

Géminiani was a guy that most cyclists wouldn’t want to mess with. But it took a while for his temper to surface. 

One of the first recorded arguments (it’s not illogical to assume that there had been others beforehand) took place during the 1952 Tour de France and was between Géminiani and Jean Robic.

I’ll write just the sequence to avoid unnecessarily lengthy descriptions:

> Jean Robic held an unplanned press conference in his bath believe it or not. 

> During his speech, Robic implied that he’d paced himself during the stage whereas Géminiani would have to work extra hard to catch up.

> Géminiani heard the soft mockery, grabbed Robic in front of everyone, and submerged him in water three times.

In 1953, Géminiani argued with Louison Bobet too. During the stage from Albi to Bézier, Géminiani took second place instead of leaving it to Bobet who was going to win the stage had he received the time bonus for second place.

(Note: Only the first few riders get a time bonus a.k.a. time deduction. For example, the first rider might receive a bonus of 10 seconds, the second rider 6 seconds, and the third rider 4 seconds. )

Bobet confronted his colleague in the evening. 

The result? Géminiani unloaded his plate on Bobet’s head. Bobet cried (allegedly). 

Not Even Fans Were Allowed To Bother Géminiani

During the 1957 Giro d’Italia, Géminiani entered “dont-mess-with-me” mode when fans were holding him back. In his words, two were pretending to push him up while another two were punching him. 

Géminian’s solution was rather radical – he took his pump (keep in mind that at the time hand pumps were much longer) and slapped one of the fans slowing him down. The poor fella suffered 5 broken teeth. 

A Stab In The Back?

Even though Bobet and Géminiani left their differences behind for a while, the 1958 Tour de France triggered the conflict once again.

Why?

Géminiani was leading the race – he was 15 minutes ahead of everyone, but Charly Gaul attacked in the Alps (his specialty) despite a heavy storm and took the lead. 

Géminiani wasn’t happy because he felt betrayed by Bobet. Technically, they were on different teams, but Géminiani expected Bobet’s support as they were both French. Géminiani was mad at the entire French team too. He believed many people didn’t want him to represent France, as he wasn’t of French descent. 

Géminiani Survived The Illness That Killed Fausto Coppi

Fausto Coppi, Géminiani, Anquetil, Bobet, Roger Hassenforder, and Henry Anglade were part of Burkina Faso’s independence anniversary (before the country was a French colony.) The famous cyclists participated in a race against locals.

Géminiani slept in the same room with Fausto Coppi. The room was full of large mosquitos that infected both of them with the most deadly form of malaria –  plasmodium falciparum.

Coppi didn’t survive and died before his 41st birthday. Géminiani was also in bad shape but pulled through. 

Géminiani Had an Open and Proud Position On Doping

Unlike many athletes who choose to either lie or ignore the topic, Géminiani was a straight shooter. He preferred to call the drugs of his time stimulants and didn’t hide the fact that all the pros were taking them. 

Anquetil and Géminiani Had a Special Connection

Géminiani and Anquetil have known each other since the former’s race days (their age gap is only 9 years in favor of Anquetil). But their friendship flourished when Géminiani became a team manager and Anquetil began winning even more.

I can bore you to death with various stats, but the one thing that got my attention while researching their connection was Géminiani’s insight into the life of Anquetil and consequently the world of champions. 

To outsiders, Anquetil may have appeared impenetrable, but the reality was different. Géminiani would often see his rider get upset and even cry due to insults coming from fans and the burden of the cycling crown. 

In other words, it was revealed that champions are all humans after all.

Never Stop Pushing

If I could summarize all of the above in one sentence it would be – Raphaël Géminiani was one of the toughest cyclists. 

He never quite got the chance to reach the ultimate peaks of the sports, but his presence was surely felt.

Sources: 

Colin, Jacques (2001), Paroles de Peloton, Solar, France, ISBN 2-263-03247-9, p17

L’Express 19 June 2003

Dazat, Olivier (1987), Les Seigneurs du Péloton, Calvann-Levy, France

Coup de Pédale, no. 13, Belgium

But et Club, France, 12 July 1962