I kept thinking of Fausto Coppi as I watched Tadej Pogačar ride to victory in the Tour the other day. Something about the hunched shoulders and low-slung head, not to mention thunder thighs and all-round ability.
There are differences, too. For instance, Coppi did an impromptu photo shoot for Paris Match №20, 6 August 1949, hours after winning that year’s Tour de France. Somehow the photographer convinced him to remove all of his clothes, which says something about the era.
I happen to have a copy of that magazine. Below is a photograph of the double page spread and my translation from the French. The translation is loose to better preserve a sense of the original purpose.
THIS IS COPPI THE PRODIGY
Illustration notes from top to bottom:
Hunched shoulders and retracted neck caused by Coppi’s racing crouch on the bicycle. It was Coppi’s remarkable neck muscles that led the blind soigneur Cavana [actually Cavanna, Biagio —Ed.] to recognise, before the war, that Coppi was destined for greatness.
Strong back muscles. The mark on his back is from a topical medication (warming plaster) that Coppi had his soigneur apply for the Alpine stages with especially harsh temperatures.
Well developed rib cage in contrast with narrow shoulders. Very slender arms. Coppi never pulls on his handlebar. His veins are highly visible due to a total lack of fat layer.
Coppi has very broad hips. All of the fat that he has is concentrated on his hips, lower back, and abdomen. His abdominal muscles are entirely covered. Coppi has to be extremely careful with his food. The slightest excess bothers him.
The main peculiarity of a racing cyclist’s anatomy is extraordinarily developed thighs. Coppi’s are very powerful. His rectus femoris muscle is hypertrophied and well supported by the vastus lateralis and medialis muscles, making his patella appear recessed. Note the remarkably long femur.
As with his arm muscles, Coppi’s calves are practically invisible. Even the tibialis anterior muscle, so apparent in runners and some wrestlers, lacks definition. But his venous system is highly developed, and he is bound to develop varicose veins. Already a varicose cord is emerging on the right leg.
Extremely thin ankles enable fine control of foot movement. The smoothness of Coppi’s pedal stroke is key to his attractive style. Cycling experts point out that Coppi didn’t start winning races until he reached adulthood, suggesting that his success is due to his unique anatomy.
And the body copy:
These photographs of Fausto Coppi were taken in his hotel two hours after his triumphant arrival at the Parc des Princes stadium in Paris. The Tour de France winner had just removed his yellow jersey. Fausto Coppi, who is 1.79 m (5′10½″) tall, weighed 76.3 kg (168¼ lb) at the start of the Tour and lost just 200 g (7 oz) during the 4,317 km course. For years, Fausto Coppi has been considered the world’s greatest cyclist, but 1949 was his most successful season yet. Before winning the Tour de France, Fausto Coppi took Milan–San-Remo, the Giro della Romagna, and the Giro d’Italia. He is the only rider ever to have won the Giro and the Tour in the same year. Experts think Fausto Coppi is currently unbeatable. They explain his extraordinary performances by declaring that Coppi is a genuine physiological freak. His body is ideally formed to extract maximum performance from the bicycle.
Fausto Coppi has a lung capacity of 6.5 L, and at full exertion his heart rate is 60 beats per minute whereas that of a normal man at rest is 72 beats per minute. But his main physical advantage is his leg structure. His legs are very long, allowing him to use longer cranks than his rivals in the mountains. His thighs are powerful, his calves slender, and his feet large. He wears a size 44 shoe. Moreover, Fausto Coppi has very strong back muscles. His lean body is tremendously resistant to fatigue and cold. The only chink in his armour is a hypersensitive nervous system that requires him to take tranquillisers. Coppi knows his body intimately and monitors it like a machine. Curzio Malaparte once remarked: “He understands that an oil leak, a single misfire, a splutter from the carburettor, or a fading spark plug can deny him victory!”
There you have it: body image done right.
Ride bike!
Samuel