Pietro Chesi
Pietro Chesi (born November 24, 1902 in Gambassi Terme , † August 15, 1944 in Florence ) was an Italian cyclist .
Pietro Chesi was a professional cyclist from 1925 to 1934 . In 1927 he won Milan – Sanremo ahead of Alfredo Binda , and the following year he was sixth in this race. At the Giro d'Italia 1928 , he finished tenth overall.
Strange habits are reported from Chesi: He used to train on his bike with a box full of stones on his back. Because he drove races without a fender and therefore often crossed the finish line dirty (“black as an African”), a journalist from Tripoli named him Champion . His nickname was Pelo (Italian = hair), supposedly because he did not remove hair from his legs. After a meal together, Chesi, who was considered to be downright “eaten”, collected the leftovers from his teammates, dressed them with salt, pepper and oil and washed them down with Chianti.
In 1944, four days after the liberation of Florence by US troops, Chesi, a “ black shirt ” and supporter of Mussolini, was killed by anti-fascist partisans there, not far from the monument to Fra Savonarola at the Sante Croce basilica . He is buried in a shrine in the Trespiano cemetery for the fallen of the Italian Social Republic , a state that Mussolini founded in northern Italy in 1943.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Chesi on www.museociclismo.it (ital.)
- ↑ Pietro Cheso on memoire-du-cyclisme.net (French) There are two different versions of his death, so it is unclear whether he was beaten to death or shot.
- ↑ 11 Agosto: la liberazione di Firenze Sette i rintocchi della Martinella on nove.firenze.it v. August 11, 2008 (Italian)
Web links
- Pietro Chesi in the Radsportseiten.net database
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Chesi, Pietro |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian cyclist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 24, 1902 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Gambassi Terme |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 15, 1944 |
| Place of death | Florence |