Daily Cycling Facts 17.10.12

Azzini at the Parc des Princes, Tour de
France 1910

Ernesto Azzini, who was born in Rodigo, Italy on this day in 1885 and died in Milan on the 14th of July 1923, turned professional with Atena in 1907 and rode for various Italian teams through to 1914, continued as an independent during the War, then went to Stucchi-Dunlop for 1919 and finally raced as an independent in 1920 and 1921. His first big win was Milan-Verona in 1906 and he was second at the Giro di Lombardia a year later. In 1910 he won the first stage of the second Giro d'Italia ever held, then won another stage - Stage 3 - in 1912; however, his real claim to fame, also from 1910, is his Stage 15 victory at the Tour de France - the first time a stage at the Tour had ever been won by an Italian (Maurice Garin, who won three stages and overall at the first Tour in 1903, had come to France as child from Italy with his parents, apparently crossing the border in secret and becoming what we now term illegal immigrants; but had taken French nationality in either 1892 or 1901).

Clare Greenwood, born in Cardiff, Wales on this day in 1958, came second at the National Road Race Championships in 1991, then third in 1992. She has also enjoyed some respectable results in Europe, including a seventh place finish at the Tour de France Féminin, and won the World Masters Time Trial Championship in 2001 and the World Masters Road Race Championship in 2002.

Born in Sydney, Australia on this day in 1977, Stephen Wooldridge shared the National Madison Championship title with Mark Renshaw in 2001 and rode with the victorious team in the World Team Pursuit Championships in 2002, 2004 and 2006.

Osvaldo Benvenuti, born on this day in 1951, was National Road Race Champion of Argentina in 1976.

Glen Chadwick, who was born in Opunake, New Zealand on this day in 1976 and holds joint New Zealand/Australian nationality, won the Tour of Tasmania in 2000, the Tours of Beijing and Korea in 2003, the National Individual Time Trial Championship in 2007 and the Tour of Arkansas in 2008.

Alexandr Dyachenko, born in Kaeakstanskaya, Kazakhstan on this day in 1983, became National Time Trial Champion in 2007 and was ninth at the World Time Trial Championship in 2011. In 2012 he was second at the Tour of Turkey; however, it was subsequently revealed that winner Ivailo Gabrovski had tested positive for EPO during the race - not the first time he'd come under suspicion, as he'd been found to have a suspiciously high haematocrit count in 2003 and 2005. His B sample also tested positive and he was banned from competition for two years, the Tour of Turkey victory thus being awarded to Dyachenko.

Other cyclists born on this day: Bobby Lea (USA, 1983); Modesta Vžesniauskaitė (Lithuania, 1983); Cencio Mantovani (Italy, 1941, died 1989); Roman Broniš (Czechoslovakia, 1976); Leung Hung Tak (Hong Kong, 1963); Marco Bui (Italy, 1977); Adrián Solano (Costa Rica, 1951); Javier Zapata (Colombia, 1969); Rubén Camacho (Mexico, 1953).