Black jersey

Black jersey

The black jersey or Maglia Nera was symbolically awarded between 1946 and 1951 to the cyclist who finished last in the overall standings at the Giro d'Italia after completing all stages. The award of the “black jersey” was associated with cash prizes.

The “black jersey” offered drivers who were not strong enough to take stage wins or the overall standings the opportunity to draw attention to themselves.

In 1948 the jersey went to Aldo Bini , who finished the Giro despite a broken wrist, often had to dismount in the mountains and push his bike. The last jersey wearer was Giovanni Pinarello , founder of the well-known bicycle brand.

Legendary are the "fights" between Sante Carollo and Luigi Malabrocca for the jersey at the Giro d'Italia 1949 , where it is said that Malabrocca tried to be the last because of the money, while Carollo was really bad. Malabrocca tried to lose as much time as possible by hiding in bars, barns or behind hedges. He is even said to have sabotaged his own bike. In 1952, Malabrocca managed to cover the 40 kilometers between Novara and Milan in 3 hours and 15 minutes, which corresponds to an average speed of around 12 km / h . As a result, the "black jersey" was abolished during the tour .

In 2008, a “black number” was awarded at the Giro, which was won by the German driver Markus Eichler from Team Milram .

In 2006, the one-person play “La Maglia Nera” by and with Matteo Caccia was premiered in Italy, which also addresses the rivalry between Carollo and Malabrocca. Since 2015, the Pinarello company has organized a Grand Prix Maglia Nera consisting of several public races .

Wearer of the "black jersey"

• 1946 Luigi Malabrocca
• 1947 Luigi Malabrocca
• 1948 Aldo Bini
• 1949 Sante Carollo
• 1950 Mario Gestri
• 1951 Giovanni Pinarello

See also

• Lanterne Rouge ("Red Lantern", Tour de France)

References and comments

1. ↑ ^{a b} The Giro d'Italia turns 100 - and Milan is celebrating on cycling4fans.de
2. ^ L'altra faccia del Giro d'Italia Malabrocca, eroe in maglia nera - Sport - Ciclismo - Repubblica.it. In: repubblica.it. Retrieved November 23, 2015 . 
3. ^ Silvano Calzini: Luigi Malabrocca: la leggenda della maglia nera. In: sportvintage.it. November 18, 2009, accessed November 23, 2015 (Italian). 
4. ↑ For comparison: Back then, the average speed in bike races was between 30 and 35 km / h.
5. ↑ gazzetta.it: "Giro, la Maglia nera diventa Numero nero" accessed on August 22, 2010 (ital.)
6. ↑ La maglia nera - gesta e ingegno di Luigi Malabrocca. (No longer available online.) Produionifuorivia.it, archived from the original on July 21, 2015 ; Retrieved September 6, 2015 (Italian). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
7. ^ Grand Prix Maglia Nera. Retrieved November 23, 2015 (Italian).