Hugo Koblet facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Hugo Koblet

Koblet at the 1956 Ronde van Nederland
Personal information
Nickname	Beautiful Hugo, Le pédaleur de charme
Born	(1925-03-21)21 March 1925 Zürich, Switzerland
Died	6 November 1964(1964-11-06) (aged 39) Uster, Canton of Zurich, Switzerland
Team information
Discipline	Road and Track
Role	Rider
Rider type	Climber
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France General classification (1951) Giro d'Italia General classification (1950) Mountain classification (1950)

Hugo Koblet (born March 21, 1925 – died November 6, 1964) was a famous Swiss cyclist. He was a champion in both road and track cycling. Hugo won the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia. He also competed in exciting six-day races and pursuit races on the track. During his career, he won 70 races as a professional rider. Hugo Koblet died in a car accident.

Early Life and Start in Cycling

Hugo Koblet grew up in Zürich, Switzerland. His parents, Adolf and Héléna Koblet, were bakers. Hugo lived with his mother and older brother. He helped out at the bakery by sweeping floors and delivering goods by bicycle.

When he was 17, Hugo left the bakery. He started working as a trainee mechanic at the Oerlikon velodrome in Zürich. A velodrome is a special track for bicycle racing. His very first race was a 10-kilometer hill-climb, which he won!

This win caught the eye of Léo Amberg. Amberg was a former Tour de France rider. He encouraged Hugo to try track cycling. In 1945, Hugo became the national amateur pursuit champion. He turned professional in 1946.

The road to the Oerlikon vélodrome in Zürich is named after Koblet.

Becoming a Professional Cyclist

After turning professional, Hugo Koblet quickly found success. He won the New York and Chicago six-day races. These are long races where teams of two riders race for six days straight. He loved the United States after these races. He even drove all the way to California and Florida. Hugo learned English by watching American and British movies.

He was a champion in Switzerland for many years. From 1947 to 1954, he won the Swiss pursuit championship every year. He also did well in world championships. He finished third in 1947 and second in 1951 and 1954.

Big Wins and Fame

In 1950, Hugo Koblet won the Swiss road championship. Then, he made history by becoming the first non-Italian to win the Giro d'Italia. This is one of the biggest cycling races in the world.

In 1951, he had another huge victory. He beat the legendary cyclist Fausto Coppi to win the Grand Prix des Nations. This was an individual time trial race.

His most important win came later that year at the Tour de France. He won the entire race! He also won five individual stages during the Tour. These included two time-trials, two regular stages, and one stage in the mountains. In one stage, he rode alone for 88 miles. He won by three minutes, even with famous riders like Louison Bobet and Gino Bartali chasing him. By the end of the Tour, he had beaten his closest rival by a huge amount of time.

The 1951 Tour de France Race

The 1951 Tour de France began in Metz, France. Top riders included Louison Bobet from France and Fausto Coppi and Gino Bartali from Italy. Hugo Koblet showed his strength early on. He won a time-trial stage, which helped him get ahead.

A few days later, he made a bold move. He attacked on a downhill section of a stage. He rode away from the other riders and won the stage. He continued to win stages in Luchon, Montpellier, and Geneva. His amazing performance led him to win the overall Tour de France.

Later Career and Personal Life

After his big win in the 1951 Tour de France, Hugo Koblet became very famous. He was known for being handsome and charming. Many people liked him. René de Latour, a cycling writer, said that Hugo was a kind person. He always had a friendly smile and didn't hold grudges.

However, Hugo never quite reached the same level of success after 1951. Some people wondered why his performance changed. He still finished second in the Giro d'Italia in both 1951 and 1952. He retired from professional cycling in 1958.

Hugo Koblet married Sonja Buhl, a model, in 1953. They bought a beautiful house near Zürich. Later, their marriage ended. Hugo faced financial problems. In 1964, he died in a car accident. His wife, Sonja, did not take his inheritance because of his financial difficulties.

His Famous Nickname

Hugo Koblet was known for always looking neat. He carried a comb and a bottle of eau de cologne (a type of perfume) with him during races. Sometimes, he would even comb his hair before crossing the finish line! He always made sure to clean his face before meeting photographers.

After one long race in 1951, he surprised everyone. He sat up on his bike, blew kisses to the crowd, and took out a sponge to clean his face. He then combed his hair. Because of his charm and good looks, a music hall artist nicknamed him Pédaleur de Charme. This means "Pedaler of Charm."

Film About His Life

In 2010, a film was made about Hugo Koblet's life. It was called Hugo Koblet: Pédaleur de Charme. The movie starred Manuel Löwensberg as Hugo and Sarah Bühlmann as his wife, Sonja. The director, Daniel von Aarburg, included old film clips and interviews with people who knew Koblet.

A Fan's Memory

Willy Schweizer, who later became president of the Swiss cycling union, shared a memory from 1951: "I was 18. After a race, I was outside a hotel hoping to see the riders. The hotel boss asked me to carry Koblet's suitcases to his room. I was so proud! For me, he was the greatest. When I came back downstairs, I met him. He thanked me very politely and gave me two Swiss francs. That was a lot of money back then. I kept the coin for a long time, like a good-luck charm. I swore I would never spend it. I only spent it three years later to buy a magazine with Ferdi Kubler, my other idol, on the cover."

Career Achievements

Major Results

Road Races

Track Races

Grand Tour Race Results

See also

In Spanish: Hugo Koblet para niños