"EL PIPA" BERNARDO RUIZ: 100 YEARS OF THE CHAMPION WHO MADE HISTORY AND HAD COPPI IN HIS HEART

EVENTS | 10/01/2025 | 08:10
di Francesca Monzone
Bernardo Ruiz, known to everyone as El Pipa, is considered the first professional Spanish cyclist in history and last Tuesday turned 100 years old. Born in 1925, El Pipa was the first Spaniard to stand on the Tour de France podium in 1952 and won the Vuelta in 1948. Spain celebrated him as they do with great heroes and he, with great emotion and humility, accepted meeting journalists, the city council, and many fans and sports personalities who came to Orihuela.
Bernardo Ruiz made Spanish sports history and in 100 years, the former cyclist from Alicante province has seen everything happen in his life, but he will always be remembered for being the first Spaniard to stand on the Tour de France podium in 1952, behind Fausto Coppi and Belgian Stan Ockers. He also had success in Italy and, although he never made the podium of the Giro, he won a stage in Rome in 1955. In his homeland, he was the best cyclist for a long time, after winning the Vuelta in 1948 and having three National Championships to his credit.
For Bernardo Ruiz, like most people born before the Great War, sport was a necessity for survival and he started cycling after the Civil War. At 11 years old, he went to the black market and regularly covered the distance between Orihuela, his hometown, and Cartagena, over 80 kilometers, carrying 50 kilos of food, drinks, and all kinds of goods. Moreover, he did this on roads in terrible condition. What he did to survive transformed into experience and helped him win an amateur race and understand he could have a future in cycling.
El Pipa, who was one of the cycling greats in his Spain, had an idol who was not from his land, but was Italian. It was Fausto Coppi, the Heron to everyone, with whom he loved to race. "The best rider I ever saw was Fausto Coppi" – Ruiz recalled during his 100-year celebration - "I appreciated him both on and off the road. He was a gentleman, a humble guy. But when he started shooting with his bike, no one could follow him".
Bernardo's merit, according to all those close to him who could tell his story, was maintaining the humility that always characterized him. Every time he went to France to race the Tour, he returned home loaded with tires, sprockets, and other spare parts. Even the pharmacists in his town asked him to bring penicillin because at that time there was none. Everything was for his friends, for his family. He was always willing to help because he knew there was little money for cycling in Spain. The government during the years he raced was not very supportive of him, but El Pipa never stopped, proving he could compete with Italians, French, and Belgians.
In his hometown of Orihuela, Bernardo Ruiz crossed the entrance of the municipal theater in his wheelchair and many people were waiting for him. In difficult moments, when roads were rough, Bernardo Ruiz paved the way for subsequent generations. But the true success that Spain recognized in this champion of another era was not the multitude of trophies won, but the ability to achieve his dream of becoming a cyclist in those years when Spain was going through true poverty and he, with his bike, had the strength to race for himself and for all those Spanish cyclists who would arrive in the following years and who today, a hundred years after his birth, have come to say thank you.

COMMENTI

Per poter commentare i post devi esser registrato.
Se sei giá nostro utente esegui il login altrimenti registrati.

TBRADIO

00:00

LUTTO

CIAO FINLAY. LA NSN LASCIA UFFICIALMENTE IL GIRO DEL PORTOGALLO

La decisione, nell'aria sin da ieri, diventa ufficiale a metà mattina: la NSN Development lascia ufficialmente la Volta a Portugal dopo la terribile tragedia che ieri è costata la vita a Finlay Tarling. «Con il pieno supporto dei genitori di...

INIZIATIVE

AL FIANCO DI ANNA. LORENA WIEBES METTE ALL'ASTA LE MAGLIE DEL TOUR PER AIUTARE KOLYZHUK

Una campionessa dal cuore grande ha deciso di scendere in campo per aiutare un'altra grande campionessa: Lorena Wiebes ha messo all'asta la sua maglia gialla e la sua maglia verde del Tour de France Femmes per raccogliere fondi a favore di...

TUTTOBICI

BLABLABIKE, MAJKA: «SONO "A BLOCCO" ANCHE DOPO IL RITIRO! TADEJ GIRO-TOUR-VUELTA? SPERO CI PROVI»

Travolto da un bagno di folla, idolo degli appassionati di ciclismo locali, Rafal Majka ha seguito il Giro di Polonia come inviato per Eurosport. Il nostro inviato, Carlo Malvestio, ha intervistato questo "collega" molto speciale per chiedergli della sua vita...

PROFESSIONISTI

ARCTIC RACE OF NORWAY, UNA GIORNATA ALLE SPALLE DEI FUGGITIVI. VIDEO

Victor Vercouille (Flanders-Baloise), Ludvik Holstad (Team Ringerike), Joseba Lopez (Caja Rural), Simen Evertsen-Hegreberg (Lucky Sport Cycling Team) e Herman Emil Eriksen (Lillehammer CK) sono i nomi degli attaccanti che hanno animato la fuga di giornata nel corso della 2ª...

INTERVISTA

VERSO LA VUELTA. FORTUNATO: «OBIETTIVI? UNA TAPPA (MAGARI ANDORRA) E LA MAGLIA A POIS»

Lorenzo Fortunato ha concluso in crescendo la Vuelta a Burgos ed è pronto a disputare una grande Vuelta a Espana. Le performances nelle ultime 2 tappe della Vuelta a Burgos hanno garantito a Lorenzo il 10° posto in classifica...

PISTA

BARDIANI-CSF 7 SABER. TRE MEDAGLIE AL BUDAPEST GP PER TSVETKOV E ROSTOVTSEV.

Due ori e un argento per i corridori uzbeki della Bardiani-CSF 7 Saber nella competizione internazionale su pista disputata a Budapest. Nikita Tsvetkov e Sergey Rostovtsev hanno conquistato tre medaglie con la nazionale dell’Uzbekistan all’IV Budapest GP, competizione internazionale di...

EVENTI

GRAN CANARIA 365. EULALIO, VAN GILS, VACEK E UIJTEBROEKS SONO I PRIMI TESTIMONIAL. E POI C'E' PAULA BLASI

Gran Canaria 365, un'iniziativa turistica e sportiva per l'isola che prevede una settimana di allenamento con i migliori ciclisti, lancia la sua seconda edizione con l'aggiunta di un vero e proprio quartetto di stelle del ciclismo. Afonso Eulálio (Bahrain Victorious),...

JUNIORES

AUTOZAI CONTRI. SCATTA OGGI UN WEEKEND LUNGHISSIMO E MOLTO INTENSO

Riboli Team Autozai Contri si prepara ad affrontare quattro giorni consecutivi di gare, dal 15 al 18 agosto, con un programma particolarmente intenso che vedrà i suoi atleti impegnati in altrettante competizioni.Si parte oggi con il 46° Trofeo Comune di...

DONNE

CICLOMERACATO. FEMKE MARCUS ALLA VISMA LEASE A BIKE DAL 2027

Anche a Ferragosto gli annunci di ciclomercato continuano a ridisegnare il gruppo femminile in vista della stagione 2027. Se nei giorni scorsi vi abbiamo dato conto dell’ingaggio di Marta Lach da parte del team statunitense Human Powered Health, ora registriamo...

AMATORI

DOMENICA 23 AGOSTO TORNA LA PEDALATA CICLOSTORICA 'LA VINARIA'

Domenica 23 agosto va in scena la nuova edizione della Ciclostorica "La Vinaria": la manifestazione sportiva, che partirà dal mercato di Marlia, è organizzata da G.S. Cicli Carube. La corsa si ispira all’Eroica e al ciclismo classico del '900 dove...