Olimpio Bizzi (1916–1976), the youngest Giro d’Italia stage winner in history, was an active professional cyclist from 1936 to 1952. His career unfolded during the golden era of Italian cycling, dominated by legends such as Learco Guerra, Gino Bartali, Fausto Coppi, and Fiorenzo Magni. Despite competing in their shadow, Bizzi carved out his own achievements on the road.
In addition to victories in several notable one-day races, such as the Giro della Toscana (1937, 1943), Tre Valli Varesine (1937, 1939), Milano-Mantova (1939, 1940), and Giro di Campania (1941, Bizzi proved himself also at the Giro d’Italia, where he claimed 13 stage wins over nine participations, finishing the race five times. His best overall performance was an 11th-place in 1939.
Bizzi’s most historic moment came during his debut at the Giro d’Italia in 1936. That year, Italy’s conquest of Ethiopia had led to international condemnation, and no foreign riders participated in the Giro. Notably, this was also the year when neither German nor Italian teams entered the Tour de France.
The 1936 Giro marked a pivotal moment in Italian cycling history. It was the first edition held after Alfredo Binda's retirement, the farewell race for Costante Girardengo, and the first overall victory for Gino Bartali, who had already showed his tslent by winning the mountain classification the previous year.
The newcomer Bizzi secured his place in the history books by winning the 243 km-long 8th stage between Bari and Campobasso.
On that notable day, (26 May 1936, he was only 19 years and 299 days old.
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