Franco Bitossi

Franco Bitossi (born 1 September 1940) is an Italian former professional cyclist. He was born in Camaioni di Carmignano.

Career
Bitossi cycled for three years as an amateur and became a professional in October 1961, after he had reached the required age of 21. As a professional cyclist, from 1961 until 1978, he won a total of 171 races.

In 1965, he won the Tour de Suisse and the Züri-Metzgete, which he won again in 1968. In 1967 he won the Tirreno–Adriatico, Giro di Lombardia and Coppa Agostoni, while the following year he became the first Italian to win the points classification in the Tour de France.

In 1970, he won the Italian championship.

In 1972 he became famous for his near victory at the World Championship in Gap, France, where he was beaten by only a few meters by his teammate Marino Basso.

Four years later, in 1978, he won the Italian Championship again.

Bitossi was nicknamed Cuore matto ("Crazy heart") due to a cardiac arrhythmia which often compelled him to stop midway in a stage.

Major results

 * 1964
 * 2nd Giro di Romagna
 * 3rd Coppa Sabatini
 * 10th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Mountains classification
 * 1st Stages 3, 16, 17 & 20


 * 1965
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Suisse
 * 1st Stage 2 & 5
 * 1st Giro del Lazio
 * 1st Züri-Metzgete
 * 3rd Giro dell'Emilia
 * 3rd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
 * 4th Giro di Lombardia
 * 6th Coppa Sabatini
 * 7th Giro di Toscana
 * 7th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Mountains classification
 * 1st Stage 21


 * 1966
 * 1st Coppa Sabatini
 * Tour de France
 * 1st Stages 5 & 17
 * Tour de Romandie
 * 1st Stages 1a (ITT), 1b & 4
 * 2nd Giro del Piemonte
 * 2nd Milano–Vignola
 * 3rd Coppa Ugo Agostoni
 * 4th Giro della Romagna
 * 5th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 8th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Mountains classification
 * 1st Stages 14 & 16
 * 10th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 10th Giro di Toscana


 * 1967
 * 1st Jersey blue.svg Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 1st Stage 1
 * 1st Giro di Lombardia
 * 1st Trofeo Laigueglia
 * 1st Coppa Ugo Agostoni
 * 1st Stage 7 Giro d'Italia
 * 2nd Milano–Torino
 * 2nd Coppa Sabatini
 * 2nd Giro dell'Appennino
 * 3rd Milan–San Remo
 * 3rd Giro dell'Emilia
 * 7th Milano–Vignola
 * 10th Liège–Bastogne–Liège


 * 1968
 * 1st Milano–Torino
 * 1st Coppa Bernocchi
 * 1st Giro di Toscana
 * 1st Coppa Sabatini
 * 1st Züri-Metzgete
 * 1st Stage 7 Giro di Sardegna
 * 2nd Giro di Lombardia
 * 2nd Giro di Campania
 * 4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 1st Stage 4
 * 4th Overall Paris–Luxembourg
 * 4th Road race, National Road Championships
 * 4th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
 * 5th Giro dell'Emilia
 * 7th Milano–Vignola
 * 8th Overall Tour de France
 * 1st Jersey red.svg Points classification
 * 1st Jersey white.svg Combination classification
 * 1st Stages 7 & 16
 * 9th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stages 17 & 21


 * 1969
 * 1st Coppa Ugo Agostoni
 * 2nd Volta a Catalunya
 * 1st stages 7 & 8
 * 2nd Giro dell'Emilia
 * 3rd Overall À travers Lausanne
 * 3rd Giro di Lombardia
 * 3rd Milano–Torino
 * 3rd Trofeo Laigueglia
 * 4th Tour of Flanders
 * 10th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey red.svg Points classification
 * 1st Stages 11 & 14
 * 10th Overall Giro di Sardegna


 * 1970
 * 1st MaillotItalia.svg Road race, National Road Championships
 * 1st MaillotVolta.png Overall Volta a Catalunya
 * 1st Stage 1a
 * 1st Giro di Lombardia
 * 1st Giro dell'Emilia
 * 1st Giro del Veneto
 * 1st Giro di Campania
 * 1st Stage 2 Tour de Romandie
 * 2nd Trofeo Masferrer
 * 2nd Boucles de l'Aulne
 * 3rd Coppa Placci
 * 4th Overall À travers Lausanne
 * 1st Stage 1 (ITT)
 * 5th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 5th Critérium des As
 * 7th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey violet.svg Points classification
 * 1st Stages 1, 3, 17 & 19
 * 7th Overall Tour de Suisse
 * 1st Stages 1 & 3
 * 7th Coppa Sabatini
 * 9th Giro della Romagna
 * 9th Road race, UCI Road World Championships


 * 1971
 * 1st MaillotItalia.svg Road race, National Road Championships
 * 1st Coppa Ugo Agostoni
 * 1st Giro della Romagna
 * 1st GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano
 * 1st Stage 15 Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stage 3 Paris–Nice
 * 1st Stage 1b Tour de Romandie
 * 2nd Giro di Lombardia
 * 5th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 8th Overall Volta a Catalunya
 * 9th Coppa Placci
 * 10th Milano–Vignola


 * 1972
 * 1st Giro di Puglia
 * 1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
 * 1st Giro di Campania
 * 2nd Silver medal blank.svg Road race, UCI Road World Championships
 * 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
 * 2nd Milano–Torino
 * 2nd Giro dell'Appennino
 * 4th Giro dell'Emilia
 * 4th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 6th Coppa Placci
 * 7th Overall Tour de Romandie
 * 8th Overall Giro di Sardegna
 * 8th Züri-Metzgete
 * 9th Giro di Lombardia


 * 1973
 * 1st Giro dell'Emilia
 * 1st Giro del Veneto
 * 1st Stage 6 Giro di Sardegna
 * 2nd Overall Giro di Puglia
 * 2nd Milano–Torino
 * 3rd Coppa Sabatini
 * 3rd Coppa Ugo Agostoni
 * 4th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 4th Milano–Vignola
 * 6th Giro della Romagna
 * 9th Giro di Lombardia
 * 9th Trofeo Laigueglia


 * 1974
 * 1st Giro della Romagna
 * 1st Trofeo Matteotti
 * 2nd Giro del Lazio
 * 2nd Coppa Ugo Agostoni
 * 2nd Giro di Toscana
 * 3rd Coppa Sabatini
 * 4th Milan–San Remo
 * 5th Giro di Campania
 * 7th Overall Tour de Suisse
 * 1st Stages 3a, 3b (ITT), 6 & 9a
 * 8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 1st Stage 4
 * 8th Giro di Lombardia
 * 9th Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stages 6, 8 & 18
 * 10th Giro del Veneto


 * 1975
 * 1st Stage 15 Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stage 3 Paris–Nice
 * La Méditerranéenne
 * 1st Stages 4 & 5
 * 2nd Overall Giro di Puglia
 * 1st Stage 1
 * 2nd Giro di Toscana
 * 2nd Coppa Placci
 * 4th Trofeo Laigueglia
 * 8th Gran Premio Città di Camaiore


 * 1976
 * 1st MaillotItalia.svg Road race, National Road Championships
 * 1st Coppa Bernocchi
 * 1st Giro del Friuli
 * 1st Trofeo Laigueglia
 * 1st Stage 2a La Méditerranéenne
 * 2nd Milano–Torino
 * 2nd Giro del Lazio
 * 2nd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
 * 4th Coppa Placci
 * 4th Giro di Campania
 * 5th Giro di Toscana
 * 8th Giro di Lombardia
 * 8th Trofeo Pantalica
 * 9th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 9th Overall Giro di Sardegna


 * 1977
 * 1st Gran Premio Città di Camaiore
 * 3rd Bronze medal blank.svg Road race, UCI Road World Championships
 * 3rd Giro di Lombardia
 * 4th Milano–Torino
 * 4th Coppa Ugo Agostoni
 * 6th Overall La Méditerranéenne
 * 6th Tre Valli Varesine
 * 6th Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato
 * 8th Giro dell'Emilia
 * 9th Trofeo Matteotti
 * 10th GP Industria & Artigianato di Larciano


 * 1978
 * 1st Stage 2 Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 3rd Milano–Torino
 * 3rd Coppa Sabatini
 * 5th Trofeo Pantalica
 * 9th Giro della Romagna