Fallen Angel (39 page)

The cover of
Miroir-Sprint
magazine’s tribute to Coppi’s life and career shows the
campionissimo
as he is seen by cyclists across Europe: with the pensive look of a man haunted by personal tragedy

The five Coppi children with Fausto (top right) and Serse (front centre)

Fausto and friends after a hunting trip

Casa Coppi in Castellania as it stands today

Bianchi’s first post-war team line-up in 1946, including the Coppi brothers and Ubaldo Pugnaloni

Early team postcard of Fausto from the 1940s

Coppi is perfection on two wheels as he crushes the field in the La Rochelle time trial in the 1949 Tour de France

Elegance off the bike as the French fans track his every move

The gallery of fans applauds Coppi in the Alps in the 1949 Tour de France

Celebration after victory: the Nancy time trial clinches his double of Giro and Tour in the same year

Biagio Cavanna massages Coppi as the cyclist’s wife, Bruna, looks on

With his mother Angiolina in Castellania

Life on the road was rudimentary even for the greatest cyclists of the time

The relationships that defined a career: Serse kisses Fausto after the younger Coppi wins the 1949 Paris–Roubaix;