Ercole Baldini (26 January 1933 – 1 December 2022) was an Italian cyclist. As an amateur he won an Olympic gold medal in the road race and the world title in the individual pursuit on track, both in 1956.
. sports-reference.com Next year he turned professional, and in 1958 won the world title in the road race and the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

. He continued competing on track and won bronze medals in the individual pursuit at the world championships of 1960 and 1964.

Biography

Baldini was born at Villanova di Forlì. At 21 he set the

hour record The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious record ...

for

amateurs An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, self-taught, user-generated, DIY, and hobbyist. History H ...

, with 44.870 km, gaining the nickname of ''Forlì train''. His best year was 1956, in which he won a gold medal in the road race at the

Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

, and, in September, stripped

Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil (; 8 January 1934 – 18 November 1987) was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964. He stated before the 1961 Tour that he would gain the ye ...

of the hour record, riding 46.394 km at the

Velodromo Vigorelli Velodromo Vigorelli (from 2001 officially Velodromo Maspes-Vigorelli) is a semi-covered velodrome in Milan, Italy. It is currently used mostly for American football events; surrounded by the track, there is a standard size football field in synth ...

Milan Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...

. In 1957 he became professional and won six important races, including the Trofeo Baracchi alongside

Fausto Coppi Angelo Fausto Coppi (; 15 September 1919 – 2 January 1960) was an Italian cyclist, the dominant international cyclist of the years after the World War II, Second World War. His successes earned him the title ''Il Campionissimo'' ("Champio ...

, and became Italian champion. In 1958 Baldini won the

, beating

Charly Gaul Charly Gaul Sporting Cyclist, UK, undated cutting (8 December 1932 – 6 December 2005)World Cycling Championship.Ercole Baldini
cyclingarchives.com Baldini finished 6th in the

1959 Tour de France The 1959 Tour de France was the 46th edition of the Tour de France, taking place between 25 June and 18 July. The race featured 120 riders, of which 65 finished. The Tour included 22 stages over . The race was won by Spanish cyclist Federico Ba ...

. His career ended in 1964 after surgery to a leg.

Death

Baldini died in his home in Villanova on 1 December 2022, at the age of 89.

Career achievements

Major results

;1953 :3rd Piccolo Giro di Lombardia ;1954 :1st Targa D’Oro Città di Legnano : World hour record (Amateurs) – 44.90km ;1956 :1st Gold medal

Olympic Games Road Race :1st Jersey rainbow

UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit) :1st National Track Cycling Championships (Individual Pursuit) :1st Milano–Bologna :1st Manx International : World hour record – 46.39km ;1957 :1st National Road Championship, Road Race :1st Coppa Brescia :1st

Pescara Pescara (; ; ) is the capital city of the province of Pescara, in the Abruzzo Regions of Italy, region of Italy. It is the most populated city in Abruzzo, with 118,657 (January 1, 2023) residents (and approximately 350,000 including the surround ...

Criterium :1st Giro della Romagna :1st

Giro del Lazio The Giro del Lazio is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Lazio, Italy. From 2005 to 2008, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing ...

:1st GP de Lugano :1st Trofeo Baracchi (with

) :2nd

Tre Valli Varesine The Tre Valli Varesine is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Varese, Italy. From 2005 to 2019, the race was organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2021 it joined the UCI ProSeries calendar after being cancelled in 2020. A ...

:2nd Grand Prix des Nations :2nd Vezzola Criterium :2nd GP Martini :2nd Cenon Criterium :3rd Overall

::1st Stage 12 :3rd

Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria The Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria, currently known as the Giro della Città Metropolitana di Reggio Calabria, is a road bicycle race held annually in Province of Reggio Calabria The province of Reggio Calabria () was a province in th ...

:3rd

Parma Parma (; ) is a city in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna known for its architecture, Giuseppe Verdi, music, art, prosciutto (ham), Parmesan, cheese and surrounding countryside. With a population of 198,986 inhabitants as of 2025, ...

Criterium ;1958 :1st Jersey rainbow

UCI Road World Championships, Road Race :1st National Road Championship, Road Race :1st Jersey pink

Overall

::1st Stages 2, 8, 15 & 17 :1st

Trofeo Matteotti Trofeo Matteotti is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Pescara, Italy. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions whic ...

:1st GP Industria e Commercio di Prato :1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Aldo Moser) :1st Coppa Collecchio :1st Castrocaro Terme :1st

Forlì Forlì ( ; ; ; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is, together with Cesena, the capital of the Province of Forlì-Cesena.The city is situated along the Via Emilia, to the east of the Montone river, ...

Criterium :1st

Riccione Riccione (; ) is a (municipality) in the Province of Rimini, Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. Riccione is centred on the Rio Melo, a minor river that flows into the Adriatic Sea. In the decades following the construction of the Bologna–Ancona r ...

Criteriym :1st Stages 3b & 6a Roma–Napoli–Roma :2nd GP Martini :2nd

:2nd San Maria Vezzola :2nd Valeggio sul Mincio :5th Desgrange-Colombo ;1959 :1st Castrocaro Terme :1st GP Faema :1st Giro dell'Emilia :1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Aldo Moser) :2nd Bol d'Or des Monédières :2nd GP de Lugano :3rd Trofeo Longines :6th Overall

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

::1st Stage 18 ;1960 :1st Grand Prix des Nations :2nd

Giro dell'Appennino Giro or GIRO may refer to: Banking and investments * Giro (banking), a direct payment from one bank account to another instigated by the payer * Girobank, a state owned and later privatised financial institution in the UK * GiroBank, a Danish ba ...

:2nd Trofeo Baracchi :2nd Castrocaro Terme :3rd UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit) :3rd GP de Lugano :3rd

Giro del Veneto The Giro del Veneto is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the region of Veneto, Italy. Since 2023, the race has been on the UCI ProSeries calendar, having previously been a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits ...

;1961 :1st Trofeo Moschini :1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Joseph Velly) :1st GP d'Europe :2nd

Ravenna Ravenna ( ; , also ; ) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire during the 5th century until its Fall of Rome, collapse in 476, after which ...

Criterium :2nd Castrocaro Terme :3rd GP du Parisien :3rd

Coppa Agostoni The Coppa Ugo Agostoni is a classic cycle races, semi classic European Road bicycle racing, bicycle race held in Lissone, Italy. The race is held in memory of Italian cyclist Ugo Agostoni, winner of prestigious classic Milan–San Remo, killed du ...

:8th

Bordighera Bordighera (; , locally ) is a town and ''comune'' in the Province of Imperia, Liguria (Italy). Geography Bordighera is located from the land border between Italy and France, the French coast is visible from the town. Having the Capo Sant'Ampel ...

Criterium ;1962 :1st

Ponte di Piave Ponte di Piave is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Treviso in the Italian region Veneto, located about northeast of Venice and about northeast of Treviso. Ponte di Piave borders the following municipalities: Breda di Piave, Chiar ...

:2nd Castrocaro Terme :2nd Coppa Sabatini :2nd GP de Lugano :2nd Trofeo Baracchi :3rd Giro della Romagna :4th GP Alghero :7th Overall

:7th

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia (), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Cycling monument, Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycli ...

:7th

:8th Overall

;1963 :1st

:1st Criterium dei Campioni :1st

Coppa Placci The Coppa Placci is a semi-classic European bicycle race held between Imola, Italy and San Marino. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race is named after Antonio Placci, a cyclist born in Imola ...

:1st Castrocaro Terme :3rd Overall Giro del Trentino ;1964 :2nd Trofeo Baracchi :3rd UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Individual Pursuit)

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Baldini, Ercole 1933 births 2022 deaths Sportspeople from Forlì Cyclists from the Province of Forlì-Cesena Italian male cyclists Giro d'Italia winners Italian Giro d'Italia stage winners Italian Tour de France stage winners Olympic cyclists for Italy Cyclists at the 1956 Summer Olympics UCI Road World Champions (elite men) Olympic gold medalists for Italy Olympic gold medalists in cycling Medalists at the 1956 Summer Olympics 20th-century Italian sportsmen