Giovanni Gerbi (1885-1955) is the oldest contestant in the history of Giro d’Italia ever. He was 47 years old, when he attended his last Giro in 1932.
The Red Devil
Giovanni Gerbi, who earned the nickname “Red Devil” (Diavolo Rosso) was one of the most iconic figures of road cycling races in the early years of the 20th century.
He won the first Giro di Lombardia in 1905. He also had a significant role at the first Milano-Sanremo in 1907. Before the first edition, organizers of the “La Classicissima” were not entire sure, that the road through Turchino pass would be possible to ride. (They already had a disastrous car race around the same region recently.) Giovanni Gerbi and his training companions, who used to train there, were asked to take a probe before the real race.
Eventually, Gerbi, knowing the roads of the race very well, had a bit of an advance during the first edition. He could have won the race easily, but the prize money he was offered was significantly smaller than what his teammate, Lucien Petit-Breton, a much bigger star those days, was offered. Thus the two cyclists agreed, that Gerbi helps Petit-Breton to win the race and then they share the prize money. The plan went almost wrong, when Gustave Garrigou delivered a great performance and almost won the race that day. But Gerbi involved in a fight with Garrigou, while Petit-Breton won the race.
Giovanni Gerbi and the Giro d’Italia
The idea of a multiple stage race wasn’t new for Giovanni Gerbi in 1909, when the first Giro d’Italia was held. He already competed Tour de France several times.
Before the first Giro he and Luigi Ganna were considered the race favourites. Ganna won, Gerbi became third. (The second place went to Carlo Galetti). In 1911, he became 3rd again, but in the same time he won the competition of the independent riders (“isolati”). Gerbi finished third again in next year, but this was a unique edition, because the race was organized as a team competition, an there was no individual winner. Gerbi earned his third place with his teammates Giovanni Rossignoli, Pierino Albini and Lauro Bordin.
After World War I, Gerbi returned to racing in 1920, but he was disqualified for violating the rules. He competed the Giro d’Italia in 1926 again, but had to give up after two stages.
The last Giro
Giovanni Gerbi’s last Giro d’Italia wasn’t a success either. In 1932 he was already 47 year old, thus he became the oldest ever contestant of the race. Unfortunatelly, he was very slow and arrived in the finish out of the time limit already in the first stage. But he was allowed to continue the race without competing in the general classification.
At the end, 1932 was the year, when Giovanni Gerbi retired from racing definitively.